Langbroek admits schools better off under Labor – but he doesn’t want them to know

Media Release.

Queensland Education Minister John Paul Langbroek has today admitted that more than 1000 state school in QLD will be better off under the Gillard Government’s National Plan for School Improvement.
The QLD Government also admitted that his claims that some schools will be worse off are based on “highly speculative figures” in this year’s QLD Budget.
If we needed any more proof that the Newman Government’s refusal to sign up to our plan is pure politics, then here it is.
Today’s Australian newspaper reported that:

The Queensland government concedes that more than 1000 state schools will get more funding than under the existing system.

And when asked to explain claims that the QLD Government would increase funding for state schools above what the Gillard Government is offering, the response was:

But a spokeswoman stressed the figures were highly speculative beyond next financial year.

Unlike the Newman Government, we have a detailed and fully costed plan for school investment that would see schools across QLD receive an extra $3.8 billion over the next six, years, with every school getting increases in funding every year.
Clearly Premier Newman and his team don’t care enough about their schools to sign up to a plan that would deliver fair funding, higher standards, and better results.
I would be happy to visit any school in QLD and explain the details of our plan, if the QLD Government had not stopped me from doing so.
In an unprecedented step, I have been prevented from visiting schools in Brisbane today after Minister Langbroek denied me ‘permission’ to do so.
I visit dozens of schools across the country. It’s my job to explain to principals, teachers, students and parents what our plan means and how it will work in their school. I have never once been denied access to a school by a state government minister.
Parents and teaching staff have a right to ask me questions about school education and I am always happy to answer them.
But now the Queensland LNP Government is actively blocking me from doing so.
Their excuse is that my visit would be using a school as a “political stage” – this is from a Minister and Premier who have been using Queensland schools as a political football for weeks.
Last week Minister Langbroek used a visit to a Year 6 class to make a political comment about the Prime Minister.
They have written to school principals with false claims that schools will lose funding under our National Plan for School Improvement.
Now they are desperately trying to stop schools from getting the real facts about our plan. Their actions are a blow to democracy and free speech and Queenslanders have every right to demand an explanation from them.

Peter Garrett AM
Federal Member for Kingsford Smith
Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth