Private school funding 'under threat' | Politics

Julian Drape | 1st December 2008

A NUMBER of private schools may have to close next year as the major parties continue a battle over Labor's new national curriculum and accountability measures.

The Federal Government has proposed legislation that will make $28 billion in funding available for non-government schools contingent on them agreeing to the new regime.

But the Coalition says it won't pass the bill without amendments.

It wants the bill split so the funding can go ahead with debate deferred on the unwritten curriculum and a requirement for private schools to disclose all their income.

Family First senator Steve Fielding says he won't support the bill either, meaning it will be defeated in the Senate unless someone has a change of heart.

"It (the bill) won't have Senator Fielding's vote," a spokeswoman for the Victorian senator told AAP in a statement.

"He is voting against the plan."

Education Minister Julia Gillard insists the Government won't be changing its position.

"(Opposition education spokesman) Christopher Pyne is just playing cheap politics with this and the problem with his cheap politics is it's going to be really expensive for private schools," Ms Gillard told ABC Radio.

"If Christopher Pyne gets his way, non-government schools next year will not have the government funds they rely on to keep their schools in operation."

Ms Gillard said she couldn't appropriate money without the legislation passing parliament.

The coalition is equally adamant it won't be supporting the bill in its current form.

"We will insist on our amendments," opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne told ABC television.

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW says schools will be forced to shut without the commonwealth funding.

"Any hold-up would have a major impact on the financial viability of some independent schools," association executive director Geoff Newcombe said in a statement.

"A number would not be able to continue operating without this government funding."

The Independent Education Union of Australia said failure to pass the bill would put at risk over 144,000 jobs in the non-government school sector.

However, there is a chance funding could flow temporarily even if the bill isn't passed by the upper house this week.

At a Senate inquiry last month, education department manager Carol Nicoll suggested there would be no payments to private schools in early 2009 if the bill wasn't passed.

"Any delay could jeopardise the ability of some schools to open for the new school year," Dr Nicoll told the committee.

But under questioning she later admitted the department was looking at "interim arrangements" in case the legislation was delayed.

She refused to give details of the arrangements.

Parliament rises for the long summer break on Thursday.

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