Andrew Wilkie, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott have lent their support to the Australian Education Union's campaign for the federal government to overhaul Australia's school funding system.

The government-commissioned Gonski review, released in February, was the most far-reaching review of schools funding in 39 years.

It recommended the federal government spend an additional $5 billion each year on the government, Catholic and independent school sectors to reverse entrenched disadvantage, particularly in government schools.

The present system expires at the end of next year, meaning the government would need to introduce legislation this year to make new arrangements in time for the 2014 school year.

The independents' support, which follows the support of the Greens, virtually guarantees that legislation would be passed if the government introduced it, as it plans, later this year.

Mr Wilkie - who recorded a YouTube video in support of the reforms on Wednesday - told TheAge the reforms would be as good as dead if the current government did not legislate the reforms. ''The crossbench is still vitally important to the government, but that importance only goes so far,'' he said. ''There's still much more than a year to run for the government, but they need to do this before the sprint to the finish line.

''We have to prioritise it in this Parliament and progress it so far that what is started can't be undone.''

Education Minister Peter Garrett has said he intends to introduce legislation to overhaul the school funding.

"The Gonski recommendations have received widespread support since the report was released,'' he said.

''So we welcome the willingness of the independents to work with the government on an issue that is crucial for our schools and Australian students.

''It's a shame the opposition isn't showing the same goodwill. Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne have dismissed the report and pledged to maintain a flawed funding system that the report found is not delivering for our schools.''

Mr Wilkie said: ''Australia is one of the richest and luckiest countries in the world, and there's no reason whatsoever why we can't have the very best public schools in the world.''

Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor have recorded separate videos, uploaded to Facebook, imploring the government to implement the reforms.

Meanwhile, a Labor backbencher, Steve Georganas, took to Facebook to announce his support for the reforms.

At the same time a Queensland MP, Shayne Neumann, made an impassioned speech to Parliament on Tuesday supporting change.

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