#ausvotes

Coalition Education Policy

• Summary

  The Coalition will continue to maintain the two tiers of education in Australia; the private school system and the public school system. The ALP had initially promised 2650 Trade Training Centres and as they have only delivered 22 of these, the Coalition may not extend the capacity of this program to its original scope. The Education Tax Rebate is extended to include school fees and extracurricular activities, and its maximum 50% rebate is increased to $500 for primary students and $1000 for senior students.

  
  

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  The Coalition value a high standard of education to allow all Australian kids to realise their potential. In particular, they will not penalise an individual who invests in a child’s education.

  
  

  On the contrary, the LNP will increase the Education Tax Rebate for those eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A to $500 pa for primary children, and $1000 pa for secondary students. Through this initiative, parents will be entitled to a refund of up to 50% of expenses up to $1000 in primary school, and 50% of expenses up to $2000 in secondary school. Previously the Rebate has covered only books, stationary and computer related items, but from January 1st 2011, the LNP will now extend the rebate to include school fees, extracurricular activities at school, costs of Special Education, music, dance or drama lessons, tutoring costs, musical instruments, school photos and sports equipment and fees.

  
  

  School infrastructure must evolve and improve to meet the needs of contemporary schooling. The Coalition will redirect Labor’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) funds directly to schools instead of educational bureaucrats. Schools can then decide autonomously how to best improve their positions and infrastructure. Previously, schools had no incentive to save, as saving money meant reclamation of the balance by the government. Under the Coalition however, schools can save money and redirect the excess to other infrastructure projects. In addition, the Coalition will consult State governments and seek to empower principals with the authority to pay their best teachers greater remuneration. So disturbed is the Coalition with the waste of BER monies to date, that they intend on establishing a Judicial inquiry into Labor spending thus far.

  
  

  The Coalition will provide assistance to students from rural and remote areas that are forced to relocate in order to pursue full time study. They will have a lower threshold of workforce participation to meet under Youth Allowance and Abstudy, and will qualify if their parent’s income is less than $150k pa. If students work for a year between school and tertiary study, they will once again be eligible for Youth Allowance and able to access university. Once in government, the Coalition will develop a far more integrated system to support students forced to leave home to study.

  
  

  Many parents struggle to send their children to a private school, and while they have extended the funding for but one year, the Labor Government are unable to guarantee the indexation of private school government funding under the Howard government’s Socioeconomic Status of school communities model (SES). This will result in higher fees for many parents who have already demonstrated their priority for a private school education for their children. They ought not to be penalised for this. Many private schools will be faced with closure let alone uncertainty, and parents will have no choice but to enrol in public education. Under the Coalition, the SES funding model will be maintained and parents will have a choice as to where they send their children. Parents will not be penalised for their choice of wanting to provide a private school education for their child.

  
  

  The LNP strongly support the National School Chaplains program instituted by the Howard government. Considering 97% of surveyed principals supported the idea and its patent benefits for the school community, the Coalition is of a similar view.