“By delaying the Bill's consequences will this assure that its legislative implications will not adversely affect the non-government sector and the estimated 550,000 families whose children attend such schools?”

No, because there are no legislative consequences to the funding of non-government schools in 2014 as the “no losers” guarantee mean that any that would get less because the Gonski plan is to keep the Coalition’s SES funding model would not fact lose even one cent next year. They would keep their current funding per student. In the long run, their lower indexation rate would mean that they would fall behind other schools, but obviously not in the first year.

The Gonski report did not “recommend” an extra $5 billion. It recommended a system and estimated that it would cost $5 billion.

The correct comparison with the $5 billion is not the federal government’s total extra spending over six years but the combined extra federal and state government spending in the last year, when the scheme is fully operational.

The problem with the Gonksi plan is that it has endorsed the Coalition’s SES funding model, a fact you will not read in the press.

Apparently, Bill Shorten has told Maralyn Parker that the “non-government schools have already accepted the model within the Education Act 2013” (http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/maralynparker/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/why_bill_shorten_is_a_good_choice_for_education_minister/). More fool them. Let them live with the consequences. Let us not hear a word of complaint from them about funding in the next 100 years.

John tells us of the national disability insurance scheme that "Ms Gillard should be rightly acknowledged as initiating the program which will remain a lasting personal, party and 43rd parliamentary legacy compared to many other political shortcomings over the past three years".

It sounds nice to call it a Legacy, when in fact it was designed as a millstone to hang around the neck of an incoming government. Add the extra millstone of Gonski, & we are well on the way to a Greek result. Talk about the stupid not seeing the trees, a lefty trait it appears.

So Ruddy has tweaked to the fact these costs will allow Abbott to tear him apart during the campaign, & is calling dicing the thing a delay. Yer, just like the delay of the LAW law tax cuts of Keating.

If we were to add in the costs of the failing NBN, hidden off budget, to those above, we are beyond getting out of the financial sh1t in decades.

How the hell can anyone get it so wrong in just 6 years, unless intentionally. And some idiots appear to be ready to give them another go, with the chief spendthrift in charge. God help us.

Yes hasbeen, they're labor voters and they vote labor no matter what.

As I say, the definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result.

>>gullible public<<
We don't need more money spent, just redirection the existing money.Talk of learning asian languages is a nonsense.Real benefit will be gained from redirecting the funding to maths and science.

Yes KarlX, it's my view that we would be far better off making tutoring more affordable, FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO LEARN, than to just throw even more money at a broken system, because like it or not, a fair percentage of kids only go to school to eath their lunch, or because it's cheaper than child care.