The interviewee mentions indigenous loading to show that the Gonski funding sugg

Interviewer(W)Peter Garrett(M)
W: One of those Ministers who had to go into the chamber to vote was the School Education Minister, Peter Garrett. Now he’s also got carriage of the Gonski Reforms. He’s joined us in the studio now.
Peter Garrett, welcome.
M: Thanks, Lyndal.
W: Last night, the Premier of New South Wales, Barry O’Farrell, told Lateline that he supports the Gonski Reforms. Have you heard such a statement of support from him before?
M: We’ve had indications from New South Wales that they were positive about Mr. Gonski’s funding recommendations. But you’re right, last night on Lateline, I think the New South Wales Premier said very clearly that he recognizes this as an important piece of work and he’s supportive of it. I think that’s very important for us.
W: Yeah, and what is the Government doing to progress them?
M: We now need to work through those recommendations and see what a proposed funding model would look like.(1)(2 - 1)The fact is that the Gonski funding recommendations were a blueprint but they weren’t complete. If you take something like indigenous loading, they recommended a range of somewhere between 40 and 100 percent on indigenous loading.(2 - 2)We need to work that through with states and education authorities to determine what a future funding model would look like. I’m doing that work and I expect to introduce legislation this year.
W: Have you actually committed to the principle of the Gonski Reforms which is to have a base rate of funding for each student and then loading for elements of disadvantage?
M: Well, the principle of a schooling resource standard plus loadings is an extremely positive reform suggestion by Mr. Gonski and his panel,(3 - 1)but what we need to do is work through with states what a funding model based on those principles would look like and then agree it. I mean, we do want to deliver funding reform on the back of the big investments in education that we’ve had because we know it’s the next step in the wave of reform.
W: But it won’t necessarily look like what was outlined in the Gonski Report or is it more likely than not it will look like that?
M: Well, I think the key thing about Gonski is that the model is very insightful. It provides us with the opportunity to add those loadings so that kids in disadvantaged school communities will get the opportunity to do better.(3 - 2)But we do need to agree it with the states and school systems and that’s the work that we’re doing now.
W: The work that you’re doing now, when will that come to fruition? You want to see legislation this year. There’ll obviously have to be an agreed model before that. When are you looking for agreement on the model?
M: I’d like to see the working groups continue and conclude their work through to late June perhaps early July. We’ll then sit down with the states and stakeholders. We’ll seek to reach agreement with them and bring some legislation into the House.
W: There’s been a lot of focus on the funding increase that was recommended in the Gonski Review. (4 - 1)You put very little money for Gonski in the Budget. Will the outcome depend on whether or not you can afford to pay for it?
M:(4 - 2)We’ve already got about a doubling of funding by the Gillard Government into education. We recognize that investment is needed and we’re directing it in the places it counts, like teacher quality, literacy and numeracy.(4 - 3)And we’ve provided funding certainty for the non-Government school sector while we look at Gonski and the funding reforms. Once we’ve done that, we will have a discussion about money. There’s no question about that. But we do it on the back of really significant investments up to this point in time and actually recognizing, effective and transparent education funding system in place that meets the needs of all students, is absolutely our next important step.
W: Just to be clear, at this stage it’s more likely than not you’ll have a funding model that looks like some of the things that Gonski recommended and(4 - 4)you’ll commit to increased funding?
M: Well, on the second question,(4 - 5)that’s a matter for the Treasurer and the Cabinet and agreement that we reach around a model. On the first part of your question, yes, my expectation is that a great deal of what Mr. Gonski and his panel have proposed in terms of a fairer and more effective education system will comprise a model. But this is the biggest chance that we’ve had to look at school funding in this country for nearly 40 years.(3 - 3)We’ve got to get it right and we have to do it in a way which brings together all of the key stakeholders. That’s education state departments and the independent school sector. So they have a role to play.
W: And one final question, Premier of New South Wales,(5 - 1)Barry O’Farrell announced yesterday a new model to try and address the low rates of retention in indigenous education, having effectively a super principal who organizes, not only the school, but other services around that. What do you think of his model?
M: Yeah, I think that model has merit and certainly we will provide some support to that model and(5 - 2)I think that New South Wales are right to be focusing on how you best get intense effort happening in communities where the school is at the centre of the community, so these kids can succeed. And I’ve announced additional funding for 200 of these schools.(5 - 3)We do have to consider these prospects that aboriginal kids have in our schools, we actually get on with the job of giving them the better support they need and I think this should help.
W: Peter Garrett, thank you very much for your time.