The latest NAPLAN results provide yet more evidence that the Education Minister Jo Palmer must rule out any further budget cuts to public education and push to secure a deal with the Commonwealth that fully funds Tasmanian schools.

“NAPLAN is just one measure of student achievement but the trends show a widening gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, which underpins the urgent need for full funding,” said David Genford, AEU Tasmania President. 

“We welcome the Minister’s commitment to no budget cuts for schools, but any cuts, reductions, freezes or “efficiencies” anywhere in education must be ruled out.”

“The impact of cuts, or so-called ‘efficiency dividends’ in the Education Department would ripple all the way to our already underfunded classrooms, further disadvantaging the most vulnerable students,” Mr Genford said. 

Minister Palmer must hold firm in negotiations with the Commonwealth for a new funding deal that at least will deliver the full amount of Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to public schools. 

“If the Albanese Government are actually serious about improving education outcomes, they need to come to the table with a funding deal for Tasmania that is similar to the Northern Territory,” said Mr. Genford. 

The Federal government are demanding Aboriginal student outcomes to match those of non-Indigenous students yet NAPLAN results show the numbers of First Nations students assessed at the “needs additional support” level in reading (34%) and numeracy (33%) are almost four times higher than those of non-Indigenous students. 

“Educators strongly support equity in education, but lifting student outcomes will require substantial investment in Tasmania where 9.8 percent of students identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, the highest proportion of students outside of the NT,” said Mr Genford. 

“Anything less than full funding, and anything less than 25% of that funding coming from the Federal government, would mean the Albanese government have broken their election promise to the students, families and educators of Tasmania,” he said. 

Tasmanian children and educators are relying on the State government to continue holding the Federal government to their promises, but this also means they need to do their part,” said Mr Genford “That means closing funding loopholes that shortchange schools and delivering the resources our students need.”