Voters in Gilmore prefer public school investment over tax cuts for the wealthy

New polling has shown that voters in Gilmore haven’t been fooled by the Morrison Government’s attempts to disguise its $14 billion in public school funding cuts as evidence of record school funding.

The Morrison Government cuts would see $917 million cut from public schools in New South Wales over the next three years.

According to the polling, voters in Gilmore overwhelmingly support a greater investment in public schools rather than tax cuts for high income earners as proposed by the Morrison Government.

More than two thirds of voters polled in Gilmore, including nearly half of all Liberal voters, said a much greater investment in local public schools was a better use of federal funding than tax cuts for high income earners.

The poll of 660 voters was conducted last week.

New South Wales Teachers’ Federation Acting President Henry Rajendra said an overwhelming majority of voters in Gilmore also indicated that public school funding would be an important or very important issue for them when deciding how to vote.

“The Morrison Government’s plan to cut $917 million cut from public schools in New South Wales while delivering big tax cuts to high income earners is the opposite to what the public wants,” Mr Rajendra said.

“They want to see our children in public schools in Kiama, Ulladulla and Nowra put first, not unaffordable tax cuts that will lead to $40 billion in government spending cuts every year just to pay for them.”

The polling shows:

• Nearly 85% of voters in Gilmore say proper funding of public schools is important to them when deciding how to vote, including 78% of Liberal supporters.
• 64% of all voters in Gilmore want to prioritise funding for public schools over extra funding for private schools. This is six times the number of voters who consider private schools a priority.
• Twice the number of Liberal voters in Gilmore said they would prioritise funding for public schools over that for private schools.
• 68% of undecided voters in Gilmore would prefer much greater investment in public schools over tax cuts for those on high incomes

44% of voters in Gilmore say the Coalition’s $4.6 billion special funding deal to private schools makes them less likely to vote Liberal.

“The Federal Coalition’s record on education and public schools is a poor one,” Mr Rajendra said.

“First Tony Abbott tried to cut $30 billion from schools, and then Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison reduced that to a $14 billion cut for public schools.”

“That meant schools across Gilmore, from Tomorong to Tuross Head, received less funding for high-needs students, such as those with a disability and those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” Mr Rajendra said.

“By contrast, public schools in Gilmore would receive an extra $21,610,000 in funding in the first three years of a Shorten Labor Government.

Mr Rajendra said there was a clear choice for voters in Gilmore who care about public schools and students, with Labor pledging to reverse all Scott Morrison’s $14 billion in school cuts.

“Public schools in Gilmore deserve better,” Mr Rajendra said.