SPC Media Release: Gonski Report

The recommendations made by the ‘Through Growth to Achievement Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools’ released today provides a comprehensive insight into the challenges within the Australian educational landscape. As SPC President, Chris Presland, explains:

“The report has some good ideas and this will obviously encourage discussion about how we equip students to be creative, connected and engaged learners. As the report highlights, improving education outcomes is critical to future economic and social opportunity and I think it’s very important that we acknowledge how education can shape social capital and ensure Australia is a fair and equitable society.”

However, Mr. Presland said that while the report details a number of goals for boosting Australia’s educational performance, these measures would remain unattainable unless there was a commitment to funding being spent in the right places:

“We can commission report after report to investigate how to best equip students and teachers to achieve educational success, however what it comes down to is money and money being spent in the right places.
There is strong evidence which shows schools are doing great things and that additional funding and resources have made a huge difference.

One of the great falsehoods I’ve heard propagated by our politicians is that money doesn’t make a difference. Our students will tell you how the extra support and assistance has shaped their educational aspirations and outcomes. If we are serious about maximising the learning growth of every student then we need to address funding inequity. It is only through strong systemic support for schools and an equitable funding model that we will ensure Australia’s rich educational heritage continues to challenge, support and enrich young people.”