AS THE countdown to the release of the federal budget edges closer, Tasmania’s education stakeholders have agreed that more needs to be done to improve learning outcomes in the state.
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Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham announced this week that an additional $1.2 billion will spent on needs-based distribution of funding from 2018 to 2020 in Tuesday’s budget.
Tasmanian Disability Education Reform Lobby founder Kristen Desmond said she was happy to see additional funding but wanted a commitment to help the learning of Tasmanian students with a disability.
“If we can better resource our schools for students with a disability then we will have better resourced outcomes,” Ms Desmond said.
“We’re not saying it’s an easy fix, it’s going to take time, but the reality is that we know students with a disability are not getting properly supported in our schools.
“Education is a fundamental right of everybody and right now we’ve got students who aren’t getting an education because the schools aren’t resourced properly for them to receive one.”
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said he welcomed the coalition’s commitment to education but acknowledged improving learning was not just about money.
“We have invested a record $1.44 billion in education and training, to improve education results,” Mr Rockliff said.
“But as we have said all along, this is not just about money, it’s also about making structural change such as extending high schools to year 12, targeted investments, and prioritising students with the greatest need.”
Opposition education spokeswoman Michelle O'Byrne said she hoped the $1.2 billion was just a taste of more funding to come.
“Jurisdictions that do well in education fund education well, they value it as an investment, they don’t treat it as a cost,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“Tasmania has significant needs, the needs that are shared with any regional community in Australia.”