The Greens say their questions in Qld Budget Estimates hearings this morning show Labor oversold its commitment for new teaching staff and their failure to reach national benchmarks means schools will be drastically underfunded.
Greens MP Michael Berkman:
“Labor went to the election telling Queenslanders they’d hire 7,329 new teachers and teacher aides, but fewer than 2,500 of those will actually be new positions.
“The Government’s response to our questioning in Estimates today confirms they’ll keep our Schooling Resource Standard contribution flat at 69.26% until 2023 with no plan to reach the 80% benchmark.
“This means Queensland schools remain some of the most underfunded in the country, which equals higher fees for parents, larger class sizes, and more teachers buying resources out of their own pocket.
“Just like with their health commitment, Labor’s paying for their election promises by using the existing education budget.
“Labor has underfunded public health and education in this Budget because they’re not willing to make their mates in the banking, mining or property development industry pay any more in state taxes - and Queenslanders are left to pick up the bill.
“If we raised royalties on mining corporations, like the Greens have proposed, we could fully fund Queensland State schools with an extra $7 billion over four years.”