Fed: States must increase school funding: Bishop

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2007
Fed: States must increase school funding: Bishop

CANBERRA, Aug 27 AAP - Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop says the states must
increase education funding to ensure Australia does not fall behind other developed countries.

A discussion paper released by the Business Council of Australia today says more than
300,000 young Australians are unemployed or working part-time because the school system
has failed them.

The council says Australia's school system is at risk of falling behind other developed
nations and calls for all levels of government to boost spending as part of a broader
overhaul of the education system.

But Ms Bishop said the federal government was already working hard to improve national
standards and had boosted literacy and numeracy, and pushed for innovative pay structures
for teachers.

She said state governments should follow suit.

"If the state governments matched our rate of funding increase, then there would be
an extra $2 billion in education," Ms Bishop told ABC radio today.

"So I do call upon the states to match the Australian government's rate of funding
increase for investing in education."

But Labor's education spokesman Stephen Smith said the report confirmed the commonwealth
had been under-investing in every level of education for far too long.

"It underlines what Labor has been saying - making greater investments in education
at every level is the single most important thing we can do for Australia's future prosperity
and living standards."

AAP kc/jl/cdh

KEYWORD: EDUCATION BISHOP

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