Scott Morrison's Local Schools Community Fund has highlighted his government's double standards when it comes to capital works funding for public as opposed to private schools.
While the Morrison Government offers private schools access to a ten-year $1.9 billion capital works fund, it has failed to provide public schools with a single dollar in equivalent funding for new classrooms, libraries and building maintenance.
Australian Education Union Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the Local Schools Community Fund, a one-off $200,000 grant per electorate for libraries, classrooms and play equipment to be shared amongst all school sectors, was little more than insulting.
"If Scott Morrison's Local School Community Fund is evenly split between the three school sectors, it means about $1500 for each public school. This is not even enough for a new textbook for each student," Ms Haythorpe said.
"Compared to the billions of dollars Mr Morrison has handed out in grants to private schools, it's insulting."
Ms Haythorpe said that the Morrison Government has already handed over $300 million in capital grants to Independent and Catholics schools in the last two years while at the same time providing no capital funding at all for public schools.
"Not only has Scott Morrison cut $14 billion from public schools he was also the Treasurer who stopped capital funding for public schools altogether," Ms Haythorpe said.
