Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, Ms PALMER
The government has made it clear that it’s committed to cutting the jobs of 2500 state servants as part of its budget savings measures. I don’t like to report on chatter, but there’s a fair bit of it within the minister’s portfolio, a fear of cuts, despite the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.
Can you outline to the Council what you expect to be the effect on Education of cuts to public service jobs? Can you rule out any significant cuts to Education that would take away some of the Better and Fairer Schools funding money from the Commonwealth?
ANSWER
Mr President, I thank the member for her question. We are currently working through the interim State Budget for 2025‑26, which will be handed down in November. The budget repair measures already underway are continuing and that’s including efficiency measures and the State Service non-essential hiring freeze.
Our focus is very much on increasing productivity and ensuring that we have a high-performing public service that is the right size, in the right place and has the right tools and resources to deliver the important services of government. We value the skills and the passion of those in our education workspace.
From an education perspective continuing to improve educational outcomes for children and young people will always remain our key focus. I understand that the Department of Education, Children and Young People achieved it’s allocated $11.8 million budget efficiency dividend for the education portfolio in 2024-25. Operating efficiencies continue to be considered in the context of ensuring delivery of critical frontline services.
School resourcing methodology remains consistent with the school resource standard and the fairer funding model. For example, schools will have an increase in resources where it’s demonstrated that there is a need for there to be an increase. That could be an increase in enrolments, it could be an increase in the number of students – for instance with disability – that are requiring more funding in that educational adjustment space.
In the education space, we’re certainly committed to meeting our funding obligations under the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, which sees us reach 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard next year, and that won’t be affected.
