Mr BARTLETT (3:10 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. Would the minister advise the House of the government's commitment to supporting state government schools? Is the minister aware of any other statements or policies in this area?

Dr NELSON (Minister for Education, Science and Training) —I thank the member for Macquarie for his question and his very strong support for a school education, whether at Richmond High School or at Blue Mountains Grammar in his own electorate. This government strongly believes that all Australians, having paid their taxes at a state and federal level to fund Australian public education, will be free and supported by this government in choosing to send their children to a Catholic or independent school if they choose.

The Australian Labor Party at the moment is supporting a campaign which is being run by the Australian Education Union, which is run in a climate of deception and which is intended to mislead the Australian community and parents by omission in refusing to provide Australian parents with the full facts in relation to school funding. There are 3.3 million students in Australian schools, and 2.2 million, or 68 per cent, go to Australian government state schools. Almost 1.1 million, or 32 per cent, attend Catholic and independent schools. The 68 per cent of students—the 2.2 million—in Australian state schools receive in total $20 billion of public funding. The 1.1 million students in the Catholic and independent schools do not receive $10 billion and they do not receive $9 billion; they receive $6.2 billion, and there is $4 billion of hard-earned after-tax money that is paid by parents in fees to Catholic and independent schools.

The facts contained in this graph, which will not be run by the Australian Education Union, show that the $20 billion which is made available to 2.2 million students in state schools is not being explained by the Australian Labor Party or the apologists in the unions. As for the advertisement that is being run by the Australian Education Union, which targets Scotch College and compares it with Glen Waverley Secondary College: Scotch College has 1,830 students and receives $3.5 million in public funding; Glen Waverley Secondary College receives $20 million in public funding for the same number of students.

The SPEAKER —I warn the member for Lingiari!

Dr NELSON —What this campaign is all about is two things.

The SPEAKER —I warn the member for Lyons!

Dr NELSON —It is, firstly, an attempt by the Australian Education Union and the Labor Party to distract attention from the fact that state governments are underfunding state schools, for which they have primary responsibility for management, regulation and funding. Last year, state governments in this country increased funding to state schools by 2.1 per cent. This government—the Australian government—while providing about 12 per cent of the funding to state schools increased its funding by 5½ per cent. Year after year this happens, so that last year $667 million was not available for state schools in this country because they were being underfunded by state governments.

The SPEAKER —The member for Oxley is warned!

Dr NELSON —The second objective of this campaign is to disguise the fact that the Australian Labor Party has an agenda to remove money from Catholic and independent schools. On 7 July last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported:

Public teacher unions have a $1 million fighting fund to campaign before the next federal election for private school funding to be slashed and have already singled out Catholic schools for special attention.

The President of the Australian Education Union, Pat Byrne, said a group of 12 federal politicians—

Labor—

had also been formed to lobby for more funding—

The President of the AEU went on to say:

... the powerful Catholic lobby had already started “public positioning” for more funding ...

She said:

The danger for us is that the Catholic sector will be the winner in whatever emerges.

I was reading a special edition of `Hands Up', which was the union's parliamentary brief for the Australian Labor Party's national conference. It says:

The AEU campaign is being assisted by a group of Labor MPs.

The reality is that the Labor Party has an agenda, and its agenda is to make it less affordable for Australian parents to choose the kind of school which they think best meets the needs and aspirations they have for their children. The Leader of the Opposition wrote a book What did you learn today? My challenge to the Australian Labor Party is: what did it learn in the last three years?

The SPEAKER —I warn the member for Prospect!

Dr NELSON —Whether the Labor Party wants to accept it or not, every child in every non-government school in this country—in Catholic schools and independent schools—receives less public money than if they were being educated in a state school. The kids from the poorest families get 30 per cent less; the kids from the wealthiest, 87½ per cent less. I say to Australian parents that this government will strongly continue to support well-funded public schools and to pressure state governments to properly fund their state schools. This government will stand shoulder to shoulder with Australian parents in making enormous sacrifices to send their children to Catholic and independent schools and making sure it is affordable.

Mr Howard —Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.