NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell says cabinet hasn't been able to find $1.7b to fund education reforms.
Independent schools were given an unfair advantage in the way the new funding model was calculated, according to Associate Professor Carmen Lawrence.Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied
PRIVATE schools have been given too much money in the Federal Government's school funding reform package, according to a member of the Gonski review panel.
Although the scheme is aimed at boosting support to the most disadvantaged students, independent schools were given an unfair advantage in the way the new funding model was calculated, said Associate Professor Carmen Lawrence.
"This package is giving more than we recommended," Prof Lawrence told News Ltd.
"The funding effort should go into the schools that needed it most. That's still true, these reforms are still redressing the balance. We just weren't prepared to be quite so generous."
Professor Lawrence said the socio-economic status benchmark had been set in a way that favoured well-off schools.
The criticism came as Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposed controversial cuts to universities became a certainty, with key independents joining the Opposition in supporting the plan.
Amid widespread criticism of the Government plan to funnel $2.3 billion from universities towards the $14.5 billion school funding target, Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said the Coalition could not afford to block the cuts, given that it would likely be in power after the September 14 election.
"If we oppose these cuts then we have to find savings elsewhere in the budget," he told News Ltd.
"If we are elected, we will be able over time to balance the books... that means we can re-look at being generous with the tertiary education sector."
Independents Robert Oakeshott and Tony Windsor said the Gonski reforms were too important for Australian students for them to consider blocking the university cuts.
"I will be supportive of the funding the Government is going to use to fund Gonski. I see Gonski as possibly the biggest revolution that we have seen in education since I have been alive," Mr Windsor said.
Professor Lawrence also blamed West Australian Premier Colin Barnett for his state snaring such a small share of Gonski funding - $300 million as opposed to $5 billion for NSW.
"The (WA) State Government has gone missing in most of these negotiations so they haven't been a voice at the table to get a better deal," she said.
"Western Australian hasn't been negotiating robustly until now. It's been standing at the margins, whinging."
Professor Lawrence also said the eastern states had been "rewarded for bad behaviour", given the package effectively topped up the cuts the states had made to their own education budgets.
"Instead of penalising NSW, Victoria and Queensland, who have been ripping money out of the education system, it appears to be rewarding them for that behaviour, so I think the negotiations around state funding reflecting some fairly poor behaviour."
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