Media Release

Labor's envy taxes continue with attack on Shire non-government schools

Wednesday 22nd February 2012

Fresh from its abandonment of private health insurance, Labor have now turned their sights on Shire families who send their children to non government schools by winding back funding and choice for parents for their children’s education, Local Federal Member for Cook, Scott Morrison said today.

“Julia Gillard has put parents and children at local non government schools in their sights by raising the prospect of a means test for non government schools as the latest instalment in Labor’s ideological pursuit of the politics of envy,” Mr Morrison said.

“The education proposals now being considered by Labor set the scene for this means testing, placing all Shire non-government schools on an independent school Labor hit-list. This is bad news for families already struggling with higher cost of living pressures under this distracted, divided and dysfunctional government,” he said.

“Labor’s attacks on choice, be it on private health insurance or now non government schools, are about punishing Shire families for Labor’s own spending blowouts and financial mismanagement that have delivered the four biggest budget deficits in Australia‘s history and forced the Government to be borrowing around $100 million every day.

“The proposals may also affect local public schools where parents and local communities are successful in raising additional funds for their school.

“The Shire has some of the most effective and active parents and citizens groups in the country. They commit countless hours to raise extra funds to support their children’s education in local public schools. Under the proposals being favourably considered by Labor, parents and local communities could be penalised by their school, being denied additional funding because of their fundraising efforts.

“Labor’s prospective envy tax on non government schools, their private health insurance tax and the carbon tax mean Shire families and residents will pay more to cover the Government’s policy failures.

“While Labor wants to start a class war on education, the Coalition is committed to maintaining a funding balance that supports parent’s choice on education for their children. This includes indexing payments to private schools, worth over $4 billion, something the Labor Party has failed to commit to.

“There is now a clear choice on education policy for Shire families. The Coalition supports choice and private investment in education, while Labor’s policies will mean ongoing uncertainty for schools and higher school fees for parents,” Mr Morrison said.