Local federal MP Justine Elliot today demanded the government reverse its recent education cuts after revelations the state’s budget will be a billion dollars better off than first forecast.
The NSW auditor-general yesterday announced that he had found 37 mistakes in the NSW government’s budget – and that the NSW budget outcome is $1 billion better than forecast in June.
Ms Elliott said, ‘the severe cuts the NSW Liberal/Nationals have announced are hurting schools and TAFEs on the north coast.
‘So, their economic incompetence has become an opportunity to turn that around. Now the NSW Liberal/Nationals have $1 billion they lost through budget blunders – they can put that money back into schools and TAFEs and reverse these extreme cuts.’
Cleaning budgets cut
Meanwhile three north coast schools will have their cleaning hours reduced under belt-tightening introduced by the state government.
Byron Bay Public School will lose seven hours, Alstonville High 12 hours and Mullumbimby High 15 hours.
Opposition whip Amanda Fazio told local media, ‘any parent, teacher or student would tell you schools should have more cleaning hours, not fewer.
An Education Department spokesperson said that while the cleaning contracts had been let with fewer hours the contractors had to guarantee there would be no reduction in standards.
