Canberra
PM: We did welcome two new colleagues, the new Premier of Victoria and the new Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, to COAG. COAG today has worked through a number of important items. If I can start first with progress in relation to DisabilityCare, the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
This is of course the major change that we will want to see for our nation so that we are better supporting people with disability. COAG today engaged in some progress on disability care, and in the margins of COAG we also made progress on jurisdictions signing up for agreements to the core costs of the scheme.
I thank South Australia for entering into such an agreement yesterday, which will make a difference to the people in South Australia. It will provide care and support to around 33,000 South Australians with significant or profound disability.
Today an agreement was also reached with the ACT, and I thank the Chief Minister for that agreement. This is significant too for all of the people of the ACT, but particularly for 5,500 people with disabilities in the ACT.
Today too, we entered agreement with the new Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Adam Giles, to create a launch site for DisabilityCare in the Barkly area covering Tennant Creek. This will provide some important learnings for all of us because it will enable us to work through how DisabilityCare can best work in a remote part of the country, so I thank Adam for that agreement.
COAG as a whole also agreed to the principles that will guide the way that DisabilityCare works with a number of other services that make a difference to the lives of people with disability - health services, mental health services, early childhood development, child protection and family support, school education, employment, housing and community infrastructure, transport, justice, higher education and vocational education and training, and aged care. So those principles are agreed.
We also noted at COAG today that the Commonwealth is working bilaterally with jurisdictions on the National Injury Insurance Scheme. This is a companion in many ways to DisabilityCare. It's so that nationally consistent no-fault lifetime care and support can be given to people who are newly affected by catastrophic injury from an accident.
So in particular this goes to the circumstances and supports of people who have, say, had a motor vehicle accident, and making sure that those circumstances and supports are consistent around the country. So good work on further progress towards DisabilityCare around the nation.
COAG also discussed the Commonwealth's offer on school funding reform and school improvement. This has been the subject of much discussion in recent days publically, and the Commonwealth's offer is outlined in the section of the communique that is headed ‘National Schools Reform'.
There was an affirmation across COAG that we do want to see Australian students and their families with an education system that would place Australia in the top five countries in the world by 2025.
A high-quality education system matters to all of us. The Commonwealth, the Australian Government will continue to pursue discussions with every jurisdiction on making sure we are properly resourcing schools and improving each and every school.
No jurisdiction was in a position to sign on today. Every jurisdiction will be involved in further discussions, and I look forward to having those further discussions with my colleagues.
As I have indicated publically, it is my determination and intention to get this done, and to make sure that in the ten weeks between now and 30 June I am not only speaking about the importance of properly resourcing our schools to my colleagues - premiers and chief ministers - but also to the Australian community.
The meeting also worked through the directions set by the Asian Century white paper. Making sure that our nation can make its way in this time of change in our region was the subject of the Federal Government's white paper on Australia in the Asian Century. We have determined as a Council of Australian Governments to focus on three directions out of that white paper.
One is boosting the studies of Asia and Asian languages, one is building in-country partnerships to develop complementary skills and qualification assessment and recognition, and one very importantly is Australia's participation in Asian markets to assist food and agricultural exporters.
As I have said previously, one of the huge opportunities before us as a country as our region of the world becomes home to more middle class consumers than anywhere else on the planet, is the opportunity in front of agriculture and food and food processing.
The meeting also considered the early childhood education national partnership between the Federal Government and state and territory governments. A national partnership has been in operation to give universal access to early childhood education. That national partnership will be replaced, succeeded by a new national partnership for 2013 and 2014. An agreement has been struck with all jurisdictions on that.
The Council of Australian Governments also discussed the response of our nation to gang violence, organised crime and illegal firearms.
Clearly as organised crimes and gangs become more and more sophisticated, it is necessary to make sure that across the country there is no place to hide and no loopholes which criminals can use.
It was agreed that there would be further examination of ways of working together to strengthen our approaches here through the Standing Council on Law and Justice which brings attorneys-general together, aided and abetted by the ministers who go to the Police and Emergency Management Standing Council; this obviously affects both a legal dimension but also the policing dimension.
Senior officials will work on improving intelligence and data sharing and information, and also work on a number of proposals about firearms measures. And that work will happen with the endeavour to see if agreement can be reached out of session.
There was discussion too of public safety mobile broadband. This has been an ongoing issue. Clearly everybody wants to make sure that our public safety agencies have adequate capabilities to respond effectively and efficiently when disasters occur.
We have worked together to step up things like telecommunications alert on mobile phones during times of disaster. There is more work to do on this issue and we are awaiting the report of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
This issue of Royal succession was discussed. This is Australia's part in ensuring that for the future girls could succeed to become the monarch in the same way that boys can, that there's not discrimination, and that there is no discrimination against the monarch marrying a Catholic.
All jurisdictions have endorsed the hybrid model which means that all jurisdictions will request the Commonwealth to enact legislation under Section 51 (38) of our Constitution. Individual states can elect if they so choose to also enact their own legislation.
We received a presentation from the Honourable John Brumby, Chairman of the COAG Reform Council, on progress on a set of COAG reform issues.
We also dealt with the question of the car industry and Australian Government fleet vehicle procurement policy, by that I mean the policies of all Australian governments. That item was led by South Australia and with Victoria in strong support.
We noted the need to ensure that there is mobile phone coverage in emergency situations, and we agreed to work collaboratively with the telecommunications industry to reduce mobile phone and internet black spots. That matter was brought to COAG by Victoria, and we noted further work on competition and regulatory reform, both as a result of the work we are doing with the Business Advisory Forum and through our agenda for a seamless national economy.
Finally and with a great deal of enthusiasm, COAG acknowledged the significant contribution of Ms Helen Silver, the Secretary of the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, who is moving on from that position after an extensive career in the public service both in Victoria and in the Commonwealth. I think the number we've settled for public distribution is a 30-year career, so congratulations to Helen on all of that work, and she certainly goes with everybody's good wishes.
I'll turn now to Denis.
PREMIER NAPTHINE: Thank you very much Prime Minister, speaking as chair of CAF could I just run through a number of the issues and then obviously there'll be questions to a number of the premiers and chief ministers and the Prime Minister herself.
With respect to NDIS, the states and territories that are hosting NDIS launches reflected on the work that's being done to date, and the good work that is underway to ensure the launches in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia proceed as planned, and that work is very, very good and has been done well.
We also welcomed the news that the Northern Territory will now be engaged in a launch in the Northern Territory in the particular area of concern up there.
On the full scheme, we noted South Australia's announcement of a commitment to the full scheme, and that a number of other jurisdictions will continue ongoing bilateral discussions towards the full scheme.
With respect to schools funding, the states and territories reiterated their commitment to improving outcomes for children at our schools across the nation. There was considerable discussion about the importance of getting this school reform proposal correct, and in the interests of all children and all jurisdictions.
Ultimately there's more work to be done with jurisdictions to examine the financial implications for each of their jurisdictions, and there will be ongoing bilateral discussions between jurisdictions and the Commonwealth on those matters and also some unresolved policy issues.
With regard to criminal organisations and gangs, all First Ministers expressed a very strong commitment to strengthen the current approach to tackling gang violence and organised crime, and COAG committed to further work by police ministers and attorneys-general to further develop agreed cooperative approaches to deal with criminal organisations and unexplained wealth.
There's also agreement with respect to examining issues associated with illegal firearms, and to strengthen existing firearms laws in regard to tracking of firearms and ballistics identification.
Jurisdictions also committed to law enforcement agencies working in a more cooperative way on investigations and improved information sharing.
With regard to the Asian white paper, there was strong support from all jurisdictions to the work being done under that Asian white paper. There was additional proposals with regard to work on improved access for visas and also for further work on free trade agreements.
With regard to early childhood education, the jurisdictions were pleased the Commonwealth has committed new money to an 18-month national partnership early childhood education agreement to ensure that service levels can be maintained for universal access for 15 hours of quality education in the year before children start school.
It is critical, as far as jurisdictions are concerned, that this commitment is funded on an adequate and sustainable basis well beyond the current deadline of December 2014. And this will remain an ongoing concern for First Ministers of all jurisdictions.
We welcome the agreed position with regard to Royal succession. I think this provides a sensible way forward for all jurisdictions to operate under the umbrella of the Commonwealth constitutional changes.
With respect to the automotive industry, Premier Weatherill and myself raised the issue of the importance of buying Australian vehicles and indeed there will be further information provided to all jurisdictions to encourage those jurisdictions to look at a more proactive purchasing policy for Australian vehicles in a cost effective manner. This is a way that many jurisdictions can support our important manufacturing industry.
The Prime Minister has outlined a number of other areas where there was good discussion and general agreement, and I think at this stage Prime Minister I will leave it there and hand back to you.
PM: Okay, so we're happy to take some questions. We will do them one at a time. We will start with Michelle Grattan.
JOURNALIST: You said that there's going to be further talks with all jurisdictions on the education matter, but as Western Australia has said that it won't sign up, what is the use of talking there or has there been some change of line from the West?
PM: Well, Premier Barnett can make some comments, but I think there's always benefits in talking.
I know Premier Barnett has got some views about this he's expressed publicly, but I want to see Western Australian schools benefitting from extra resources that we are prepared to provide. And I want to continue collaborating with Western Australia on improving school education.
We have done some work together in the past and we actually reflected on some of that today. But I will hand over to Premier Barnett.
PREMIER BARNETT: Thank you, Prime Minister.
Obviously Western Australia will always be part of the discussion, if you like.
I would have preferred us to have had a good discussion about educational objectives before we started talking about how you allocate funds.
From a Western Australian point of view, obviously the share of the extra Commonwealth money in our case is very small. It works out at $33 million a year for the next six years, compared to a State Government budget which is already over $4 billion. So the money doesn't draw us in.
Western Australia's expenditure on schools is already at least 25 per cent above the 2019 target. So there is, again, little attraction.
But I think the main thing that concerns me and I am willing to talk about this I guess with the Prime Minister and others, is that I have a fundamental view that the prime responsibility of a state government is state government schools.
And most children go to a state government school; in Western Australia's case those schools are funded about 90 per cent by the State Government.
This proposal would see state government spending on education progressively shift from state government to Catholic and independent schools. That is a pretty significant policy decision to me. That hasn't been discussed and maybe there is room there.
Maybe it's acceptable that there be state drops its share from 90 to 80, I don't know. But that discussion hasn't been held.
Indeed today, and this is not a criticism it's just an observation, today was the first time that COAG has actually discussed the Gonski proposals.
We will stay in the debate but at the moment there is little financially to attract us to sign at the moment.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister do you accept from the WA Premier that you would see a progressive shift from states to Catholic and independent schools under your model?
PM: The model here, let's be very clear about what the model here is, the model here is that every school is funded at a school resource standard which has been calibrated to meet the needs of the kids in that school. That is why there are loadings for things like disadvantage.
I certainly do believe that as Australian Prime Minister I've got a responsibility to every child in every school. I believe every premier and every chief minister has got a responsibility to every child in every school in their jurisdiction. And that's why you already see state governments making some funding available to independent and Catholic schools.
Now what it means is not a shift in the sense of there is less for state schools and more for independent and Catholic school, it most certainly doesn't mean that, and there is no way of looking at our school funding proposal to say this is about movement between sectors. We're taking a fundamentally different approach.
This is about looking at the needs of schools and every school being at a school resource standard. Around the country in every sector of education, including in state schools, there are schools that are below that standard and we want to make sure that they come up to that standard.
But philosophically, I certainly believe all of us have got a responsibility to every child in every school.
On the school resource standard, to get the apples-to-apples comparison, it is the base figures we have outlined for primary and secondary education, plus the loadings, comparing that with what is being spent now on education. That's the actual comparison.
You can't compare the base figure to what is being spent now. That isn't an appropriate comparison.
JOURNALIST: Can we have a show of hands from the leaders as to see who thinks we can get agreement by 30 June on the education-
PM: We don't do shows of hands. We will go to Phil Coorey.
JOURNALIST: Maybe Phil wants to ask the same question, I don't know.
PM: We will go to Phil first and then come back.
JOURNALIST: Mine is on the different topic, on the Royal succession. Is that a compromise that has been reached today? Premier Newman, have you changed your position or have you all agreed you can do it each way you like and that's going to work?
PREMIER NEWMAN: The position when we last met was that we were being asked to refer our powers to the Commonwealth, as I recall.
Sadly on that day I think many people seemed to misunderstand where I was coming from. My Government moved this year, some weeks ago, in fact a couple of months ago, to introduce legislation to ensure what was agreed at CHOGM could be implemented in Queensland.
So in other words, some people last time reported somehow that we didn't support the female succession occurring. Absolute nonsense.
What we have always been on about is about the sovereignty of Queensland and the way that our Constitution works.
Today I've been happy to agree that we will amend the legislation that is currently in the Queensland House. I stress that, it has already been introduced some time ago. I'm happy to amend that and to, in the amendment, have a request to the Commonwealth to similarly pass legislation under 51 (38).
That's the way we're going to go, I'm happy with that, and I think it deals with the concerns that my Cabinet and I have had.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you disappointed you didn't get agreement today on the school funding reform? Is this the final offer from the Commonwealth, and I would be interested, if not a show of hands, maybe an answer from the state and territory leaders if there is no change to the current offer, will they sign up in the next ten weeks?
PM: I'm happy to refer that to my colleagues. We don't do shows of hands on some of the biggest questions facing our nation for obvious reasons. It's more complicated than that.
We are talking about our nation's future. We're talking about every child reaching their full potential. We're talking about whether or not we will be a strong economy in the future, or we will lag behind the standards of our region and the high skill, high wage jobs of the future will be done by someone else.
This is a profound agenda for our nation's future. That's why it's not the subject of shows of hands. It's the subject of intense discussion by people who care about our nation's future.
It's taken us five years to get to this point. Five long years of careful and patient work. Five years where we remedied some of the big holes in the past, like no one could tell you what schools were achieving in this country before we created My School. No one could tell you what resources were in schools in this country before we put that information on My School.
Whilst jurisdictions were involved in a lot of worthwhile activities, we have been able to accelerate that through the work we have done with our national partnerships and show very clearly now reform directions that make a difference.
We have had an extensive process involving very eminent Australians from around the country, including jurisdictions you are looking at here, two Western Australians to take just one example.
And guided by that we now have the biggest opportunity in 40 years to make a difference to our children's future. So I will be pursuing this every day, working through it, to make sure that our nation seizes this opportunity.
The model we have put out there we profoundly believe in. We have put out the figures associated with the model.
As I said yesterday, and this is no change in position from yesterday, of course there are always details to be worked through.
We are talking about 9,500 schools. We are talking about the population characteristics of the kids in those schools. We are talking about complicated fiscal questions for jurisdictions. We are talking about an agenda to improve every child's education in every school.
So yes, that will be the subject of discussion as it should be, but we are very clear on this model and the aspiration to make sure that every school in this country has available to it the proper resourcing to teach the kids in that school and that we fix this for all time so that our schools are properly resourced for generations to come.
It's a big agenda we've outlined. The offer that's out there, the $14.5 billion, the 4.7 per cent indexation rate, that is against the alternate proposition which is continuing the Howard Government model, which because of lowering indexation rates because of withdrawal of effort in some jurisdictions, will mean that schools are $5.4 billion worse off.
So, it's a clear choice about the future and I intend in a very determined fashion to make sure that our nation makes the right choice.
I'm happy to go to my colleagues on this; we can start at the end. Obviously, it doesn't involve local government, but we start with Katy.
JOURNALIST: In terms of funding from the Commonwealth is it a yes or a no?
CHIEF MINISTER GALLAGHER: In terms of the original question, which is if from the ACT's point of view we think we can reach agreement by 30 June, yes I do.
In terms of support for a national system of resourcing children, despite the fact that that is not financially advantageous to the ACT, yes I do because I actually think we need to put children in other jurisdictions - if they are not getting as much as the ACT - in the national interests ahead.
I remain committed to it.
PREMIER WEATHERILL: I want to reach agreement by 30 June. I don't know whether we can, but I want to. And the principle reason is that I believe in a strong public education sector.
We have one of the world's great education systems but if you look at the international data, it's not a particularly equal system and we need to lift the quality of our public education system.
The way we are going to do that is for the level of government that's got the greatest fiscal strength to be involved in funding public education.
At the moment they fund private education, we fund public education, and that's not a good thing in the long-term for state and territory governments.
It's in our long-term strategic interest to have a relationship with the Commonwealth to fund public education.
It's in our interests of our budgets because it's the long-term growth is going to be in large measure picked up by the Commonwealth, so it's in our long-term interest to be part of that equation.
It's in the interests obviously of the general level of prosperity of our citizens to have a higher quality education system.
And at the level of the school what this means is that individual teachers, if they need an extra school services officer in their classrooms, they will be able to get it.
If they decide they want a language program, they will be able to put that in. If they decide they want to run an additional phys-ed program or bring in an expert, if they want an extra teacher or they want to give individual attention for kids with disabilities, they will be able to do it.
That's what I think these reforms are all about. That's why we are striving to reach an agreement and we will see whether we get there.
PREMIER NEWMAN: Well in the case of Queensland I start by saying that I'm absolutely passionate about our schools and our kids. I'm here today though for Queensland's kids, Queensland parents, teachers and principals. And that is my first responsibility and duty.
I need to just let people know that we have made sure that we have actually increased the frontline school funding in Queensland under my government.
In fact over the next five years we will spend $835 million fixing a very large school maintenance backlog to make our schools safe and secure, to provide decent work environments for our teachers, and learning environments for our kids.
We have also got, as part of that package, the great teachers great results program, which has very specific things that we are going to implement in Queensland because they are our state schools.
It's about teacher quality, it's about the performance of teachers, it's about scholarships so teachers can improve their skills and principals can improve their skills, it's also about rolling out the program of independent public schools. Now, we are going to do that.
Now one thing that has happened today, is that the Prime Minister has confirmed that the ask of Queensland is $1.3 billion over the next six years.
So I've got $835 million that I've put on the table over five years; $1.3 billion being asked over six. So you can see there is a gap. Well, I've got to go and work on that.
So I guess I need to stress today that if it's $1.3 billion the Commonwealth are saying, then my issue then becomes this issue about who runs the schools.
What I've stressed today is that they are state schools, it is our constitutional responsibility, and we are concerned by a number of things that we believe are centralist in approach, prescriptive and overly bureaucratic. That needs to be dealt with.
We are also concerned - notwithstanding what you've heard - about the national partnership agreement for early childhood education, that's only going for 18 months. What happens then?
And so there is still looming a very significant cut to kindergarten funding in Queensland post the end of next year and that needs to be dealt with.
I could go on and one final point, I've spoken to most of the Vice Chancellors of the universities in Queensland.
They are deeply concerned about the cuts to their budgets and the impact to their students, particularly disadvantaged and indigenous students. And they have urged me to fight for them as well that is what I'm here to do today. And so there are a number of concerns we have to sort out.
But in summary, we are going to do our best to come up with an agreement because we want the Commonwealth money to come to our schools, but there are certain things that frankly have to be dealt with.
PREMIER NAPTHINE: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. We are very proud in Victoria of having a very good education system but we are going to do our level best to make it even better and that's a commitment we have because we are similarly passionate about education, we are passionate about providing every child and every school with every opportunity to produce the very best educational outcomes. And we are very focused on educational outcomes that.
That is what we are doing in Victoria and that's why we have also increased funding each and every year that we have been in office for education.
That's why we have done a new enterprise bargain agreement with our teachers, principals and school support staff that deliver win-win outcomes for the staff and for our education system.
So we are very keen to continue bilateral negotiations, to get the very best deal possible for Victorian schools and Victorian education.
But we will not sign up to a deal that disadvantages any child, any school or any family in Victoria.
PREMIER O'FARRELL: David, as I've been saying all week, we will continue to talk with the Federal Government. At a first cut at looking at how we could afford the $1.7 billion last Monday, we didn't get there.
We are determined to deliver this package, if indeed it's in the best interests of New South Wales.
We'll continue to have those discussions and we have them I suppose against the offer of an additional $3.3 billion to New South Wales schools over six years, versus not necessarily a return to the status quo, but a return to the status quo minus the national partnership funding of $300 million a year, which would be a significant cost to New South Wales schools in any case.
PREMIER BARNETT: I will just add one point. I've already had a go. One of the other considerations for Western Australia is that we have a program of self-managing government schools.
And at the moment one-third, about 230 schools are self-managing; the right to hire and fire, single line budgets and so on.
So one of my concerns would be under this system, there would be a move away to that because you have a new set of regulation and reporting to Canberra.
And that's what a state's rights are given it just philosophically goes against the direction that Western Australian education is taking. So that's another consideration.
PREMIER GIDDINGS: I certainly on behalf Tasmania commend the Prime Minister for driving two very important reforms here with NDIS and the Gonski education reforms.
And Tasmania stands ready to want to see both of those reforms implemented in our state.
We haven't signed up on either of those yet because there are still some final details that we are working through before we can actually put ink to paper. But we understand the importance of both of those reforms and particularly in education, in ensuring we can lift the educational outcomes for our students.
That's so critical for them as individuals, it's critical for our state, it's critical for our nation. And we believe these reforms are really, really important for all the reasons that have been said by my colleagues.
CHIEF MINISTER GILES: Look, we all want the best for our kids, for our schools, for our teachers. The door will remain open until 30 June but the model that has been put up to us is unsatisfactory.
It is almost a case of death or Siberia. Now we have a stay of execution until 30 June. We will see what we can do between now and then with the Commonwealth Government to try and get the best outcomes for the Northern Territory.
But the model that has been put on the table, the funding commitments that are required by the Northern Territory Government are unsustainable.
So we will not close the door, but we will be happy to continue to negotiate.
JOURNALIST: The car industry is facing a difficult time at the moment and you have told us there was discussion from South Australia and Victoria about trying to convince, I presume it's mostly Queensland, New South Wales and WA, to buy and lease more Australian-made cars.
Could I ask the leaders of those other states, are you at all persuaded that you should increase the number of Australian cars that you buy or lease, and if not why not?
PREMIER O'FARRELL: Well I'm happy to kick off, Prime Minister. The fact is the number of cars that New South Wales has been buying or leasing has halved in the past six years. That, combined with the high Australian dollar, clearly has had an impact.
We have been big purchasers of one of the local Holden models that is affected by the latest cut backs.
But we will continue to look at the figures if Victoria and South Australia are going to provide in terms of value for money because ultimately for New South Wales taxpayers, it will come down to value for money.
And as others argued today, there are industries in every state where you could argue that if other states were to offer preference to those industries, we would all do well.
PREMIER NEWMAN: I'm happy to have a go. Just a few thoughts. Firstly, it's been reported in the Courier Mail today that we have got a projected $8 billion fiscal deficit next financial year.
Now these are very serious numbers for Queensland and we have been talking about finding money for things like NDIS and education.
This is a situation my government inherited and we are doing our best to actually overcome a very serious financial situation.
We actually haven't bought any cars I'm advised since I became Premier. So for 12 months our fleet buy has dried up.
We will buy the best value on the day and we make no apologies for saving money for Queensland taxpayers. We would like to buy Australian, we prefer to buy Australian but we have got to get a good deal.
I'm also advised that the previous government actually at one stage lost a couple of hundred million dollars on Australian-made vehicles they couldn't move.
And the final thing I add, a bit of a message to the car companies, I won't mention names but I did reveal today to the COAG meeting that one of the major car manufacturers had only recently, in recent days, agreed to the procurement policies if you like and requirements of the Queensland Government to buy from them. So, look, best endeavours, I'm not going to agree to a quota or a target.
PREMIER BARNETT: We continue to buy cars and probably use them up pretty quickly. Western Australia buys 43 per cent of its cars at the moment are Australian and like Campbell, we will work hard to get that up over at least 50 per cent.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the nitty-gritty of the schools funding deal, one of the issues seems to be about the loadings and whether there is enough data to support some of the various loadings, particularly I think you have conceded there is nothing really on disabilities yet, but also not a lot of national data on the non-English speaking background loading.
Were you able to tell chief ministers and premiers today whether that data will be available by 30 June because it's pretty unclear how you're going to have a loading if you don't know what data you are going to be basing it on?
PM: On students with disability, that is a work in progress between us and states and territories.
It is very, very complicated and what we have said we would do is continue the investment that we are making now.
It's a national partnership style investment into assistance for students with disabilities.
We would continue that whilst further work goes on, on this loading, and that's because it's just an absolute best endeavours, but very, very complicated.
We don't even start now with common definitions of disability for example, so this is having to be built from the ground up.
It's been done in a co-operative way but always been understood it was going to take more time than this, which is why we are continuing the disability investment that we announced, actually I believe I announced it in New South Wales with Premier O'Farrell some time back.
On students from non-English speaking backgrounds, yes of course we will keep working with states and territories on this data, on all data.
We have worked collaboratively on information since I first took over as Education Minister.
We could only put up the figures that are on the My School website because we have worked long and hard to share information and to make it public; information that was never shared before and was certainly never made public before.
It's not the Federal Government coming up with the information and then taking it out to the states.
All of this information has had to be worked up in a collaborative way because state governments are the custodian of that information for state schools and that's the approach we will continue to take.
JOURNALIST: Thank you Prime Minister, just on the principle of the maintenance of funding, you've made it clear that under this deal no schools will lose money until all the others reach the level.
This means that some money will continue to be sent to quite wealthy schools and more so than some smaller schools, government schools.
To what extent is this an issue and to what extent would you be prepared to consider changing that principle?
PM: Well, let's be clear about what the principle is because I think it answers your question.
Of course we've got to keep working with jurisdictions on information and assessments of the positions of individual schools and we'll continue to do that.
But the principle here is for schools that currently have available to them more resources than the school resource standard inclusive of all loadings, for those schools they will get the same funding arrangement that they would have got.
So they are in the same position they would have been if these reforms were not enacted.
For schools that are below the school resource standard there will be more money for them in their base and from us there will be an indexation rate of 4.7 per cent which is an indexation rate which combined with the new base money grows them too towards the school resource standard. That's the system we want to see.
It is not appropriate at this point for people to be pulling out individual examples of schools and comparing them and some of those figures obviously aren't reliable - it's not appropriate for people to be doing that.
What we're doing at every level is data checking and work, but that principle is clear.
So to use the example you use, very underfunded state school, if one imagines one, would be getting more money in its base plus from us this indexation rate.
A school that is above the school resource standard would get the same funding deal that it would have in any event. But that is a lesser indexation rate.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, as your meeting concluded this afternoon the Opposition Leader announced that he had demoted his Director of Policy, Dr Mark Roberts, for his behaviour at a corporate function last night in which he approached the head of the National Indigenous Education Foundation apparently after having had too much to drink, allegedly, and made threats to that organisation's funding if and when the Coalition took government.
Can you tell us, what is your view, firstly of that incident, and secondly of Mr Abbott's response?
PM: I've been here with my colleagues doing important things for the nation. Any of that is a matter for Mr Abbott.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister and any of the premiers who want to comment, was there any resolution to the concerns raised about unexplained wealth provisions in the criminal gang laws and is it still a concern held by states about how assets would be shared between the state and the Federal Government?
PM: I think the short answer is yes, there is concern and there are a variety of views between jurisdictions on unexplained wealth laws and so further work will be done by the attorney-generals working with the police ministers as we've outlined.
JOURNALIST: Who shares those concerns?
PM: I mean we can go though, we'll be here all night. I'm happy to take premiers but we were talking about proposals, laws on gangs and organised crime, laws on unexplained wealth, further work on firearms and people.
In different iterations, people had different views on different things. So that's why we need more work done.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, my question is related to the Royal succession. The world is watching and I think Premier Newman mentioned the word sovereignty. Aboriginal sovereignty movements here, there's a few tribal groups looking to have their right to self-determination and decolonisation under the United Nations.
If you support Queensland's right to become a sovereign state under these new changes, do you support Aboriginal people - tribes - who are looking to become independent in the future?
PM: Well, I don't think my position about Queensland is any different today than it was yesterday, which is Queensland's a great state and I love visiting there.
On our engagement with indigenous Australians, you know our approach. Our approach has been about working to close the gap, it's an approach about recognising land rights and that's the approach we will continue to take in the future.
JOURNALIST: If you recognise an Israeli state or the Palestinians' right to statehood, why not recognise these Aboriginal tribes who want to become their own states?
PM: Well there's no discussion of that today at COAG and no change in the Government's position from what you know it to be.
JOURNALIST: You've said that the Federal Government's contribution will be indexed by 4.7 per cent, can you clarify whether that applies to the new funding you're providing, will that also be indexed by 4.7 per cent or is it solely the existing funding that you provide?
PM: As the model gets up and running, so indexation for schools, it's paid during the school year - it looks a bit backwards, it's paid in October - so as the model runs the indexation rate will be 4.7 per cent on all Commonwealth funding that is provided to schools below the SRS.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, under current funding arrangements, it's not in your agreement, and they stand to lose targeted funding national partnership money. Will the Commonwealth deny those schools the extra funds or will you look at ways to provide the extra funding to the schools in those states?
PM: The essence here is that the Commonwealth wants to provide more money and that's what we are looking for agreement towards.
But we made clear with our colleagues there is a deadline here of 30 June, schools need to know what position they are going to be in.
We are working so that we are providing new resources to schools and we hope that states and territories can join us in that endeavour.
What will apply after 30 June in jurisdictions that don't sign on to the new reforms is the continuation of the old Howard Government funding model.
JOURNALIST: Is there any prospect of another COAG before 30 June to try and clinch this deal and also was there any discussion of the national partnership on Closing the Gap today?
PM: We'll be working bilaterally to close this deal so no, I don't see us having a further COAG meeting.
On Closing the Gap there was questions and commentary about the national partnership. I made it clear that I along with the Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister Warren Snowdon had issued a press release about the renewal of that national partnership and the funding envelope which means we are increasing funding per year.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Australia has sent 38 Sri Lankan people back to Sri Lanka without asking them if they want a lawyer. As a lawyer in your previous life do you agree with that and do you believe that Australia could be in breach of its international obligations as the Human Rights Commission has suggested?
PM: The answer to the second is no and we conduct all of these matters appropriately.
JOURNALIST: Mr Barnett, after the state election you signalled that you would be working to provide some sort of support to the wheat farmers in WA that were struggling.
Quite a significant meeting on Monday in Meridian where 1,000 people turned out; did you get the opportunity today to talk about any of the requests that they've come forward with from that meeting because some were state requests and some were federal requests and it's also something that's being shared or some of the crisis they're dealing with there with the high Australian dollar is being shared by other sectors of the agricultural industry in other states?
PREMIER BARNETT: An important issue but I guess a more local one for Western Australia.
I've toured through that area, I had meetings with the banks during the week about some sort of emergency financial assistance and I guess the focus will be on caring for people under stress and supporting those families, but in reality it's limited as to what can be done.
I know there is all sorts of great claims for assistance but we'll identify what is probably a smaller number of farmers that perhaps are viable but are struggling to get their finance for this year and we'll try and see what we can do with the banks to assist them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, in light of Mr O'Farrell's comments this morning in support of same-sex marriage I wonder if it was an issue that was raised by any of the premiers today and if the state and territory leaders could comment on whether they want this issue examined again in light of New Zealand's actions?
PM: Well we didn't have any formal discussions on this.
Obviously in and around COAG people have been talking to Barry about the announcement that he made.
For us the important thing is for there to be a conscience vote on all sides of politics on this issue. There is a conscience vote in my political party.
I don't make any endeavours in my political party for people to have to agree with my position.
They act in accordance with their own consciences and I think that that should be what is done across Australian politics.
Barry might want to say something.
PREMIER O'FARRELL: I said it all on the way in.
PM: Right, said it on the way in.
PREMIER GIDDINGS: Can I just say something because in Tasmania we would certainly hope that Will Hodgman, the Liberal leader in Tasmania does provide a conscience vote to his members, that this is an issue that we're hopeful will be raised again post our May elections for the Upper House and it can be debated.
So there is one at the moment, one Liberal Party member in the Upper House, who if she is returned, I would hope would have a conscience vote on this issue.
Because we do think it's an important one and we congratulate New Zealand for what they have achieved and in Tasmania we will continue to pursue this issue.
JOURNALIST: PM, just the early childhood education in the communiqué, $655 million over the next 18 months, was that inserted to assuage the concerns I think of Premier Newman and Napthine over kindergarten or is that something different altogether?
PM: No, that's the same national partnership and it has been renewed for that period of time in the way described in the communiqué so that it is sufficient to make sure that there is no interruption of services.
PREMIER NAPTHINE: We welcome the 18-month extension and we welcome the additional money from the Commonwealth.
What I think, without speaking for Premier Newman but for myself, what we'd like to do is have a more longer term secure funding arrangement beyond December 2014.
PREMIER NEWMAN: I'd just add that's vitally necessary.
JOURNALIST: Did COAG have any discussion on constitutional recognition for local government, whether that's something that the people at the table are in favour of, against, and what's going to happen with that?
PM: Once again it was not a formal matter on the agenda for COAG.
Obviously when we get together we take the opportunity for canvassing issues and this is an important issue for local government and local governments represented at the table.
So for the Commonwealth, as you know, we are continuing to work through the prospects of a referendum to recognise local government.
JOURNALIST: But is the referendum going to happen because the election's only five months away and there's a whole process that has to go through. Are we going to have a referendum?
PM: That, at the end of the day, is a decision for the Federal Government and we'll announce our decision on that when we're in a position to do so.