The federal government launched a bitter assault on Liberal states yesterday, saying Tuesday's state budgets that slashed education and health funding are a sign of what's to come under a federal Coalition government.
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The government needs the support of the states to effect its schools funding reforms. It was last week claiming an early victory in its fight to unite the states, after Australia's education ministers agreed on Friday to work together to introduce the Gonski funding reforms.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said she accepts it would cost about $6.5 billion to reform the sector, but has so far refused to say how much the states should stump up.
But Tuesday's budgets revealed much more work will need to be done with the states before the government's negotiations deadline of March next year.
NSW revealed it would cut $1.7 billion to government and private schools and slash 1000 departmental staff and 800 TAFE positions over the next four years.
Queensland said it would all but freeze annual recurrent funding for non-government schools, increasing funding by 0.4 per cent over four years.
It will invest $200 million to upgrade ageing schools, but more than 40 services supporting children at schools have been cut, including tuckshop programs.
Yesterday federal Treasurer Wayne Swan called the cuts ''very cruel and destructive'', and said they had ''the cold-hearted stamp of approval of the Leader of the Opposition [Tony Abbott].''
''What is going on in NSW and Queensland is just the warm-up act for the Leader of the Opposition.''
Education Minister Peter Garrett said cutting schools funding ''is what the Liberals do''.
''We've seen it in NSW with the O'Farrell government ripping $1.7 billion from schools and TAFE, cutting jobs and placing pressure on school fees,'' Mr Swan said.
''We've seen it in the cuts to education in Victoria and Queensland.
''And we know that Tony Abbott thinks public schools are already getting too much money.''
But NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli hit back, saying the NSW cuts were the federal government's fault.
''I spoke to Mr Garrett and asked him to meet urgently with the federal Treasurer to discuss what the Commonwealth can do to assist NSW residents,'' Mr Piccoli said.
''I made it very clear that a large part of why we have had to make these tough decisions about the education budget is the $5.2 billion reduction in GST revenues flowing to NSW.''
Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said overall education spending had risen by 4 per cent on 2011-12 levels.
''It is disappointing that the Treasurer of Australia can't read a budget statement,'' Mr Langbroek said. with Benjamin Preiss
