It was announced in Tuesday’s budget that an additional $1.2 billion would be allocated to education but did not provide the funds to ensure Gonski would be funded until 2020. 

Ms Haythorpe said she had hoped to see Gonski fully funded in the budget but Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic said the commitment to education funding was the most significant package of education quality reforms in a generation. 

“The week’s federal budget has failed the test for our students and failed the test for our schools in terms of fairness,” Ms Haythorpe said. 

“We think it’s very important that we have bipartisan commitment to Gonski needs-based funding so that every child that needs help in Australia can get that help.

“There is no doubt that this is going to be a key issue leading up to the election.” 

Ms Haythorpe said the budget left schools $3 billion short of what they would receive under the full six years of Gonski and Tasmanian students would be greatly affected by the change. 

Mr Nikolic said the federal government’s funding for Australian schools had continued to increase each year from record levels. 

“From this year to 2020, schools in Tasmania will benefit from an extra $62 million, that’s a 16.8 per cent increase from current record levels,” he said. 

“Plus there is extra funding for education like the $118 million in the budget to help students with a disability.”