Share and share alike under new Labor education policy

PUBLIC and private schools would share facilities such as science laboratories and sports fields under a federal Labor government.

The Leader of the Opposition, Kevin Rudd, said yesterday he would set aside $62.5 million to run 25 pilot programs in rapidly growing areas.

"Whether public, private, independent, religious or secular, all schools need a library, all schools benefit from having playing fields and ovals, as well as access to science and language laboratories and up-to-date information technology and computer equipment," Labor's latest education policy discussion paper says.

The Minister for Education, Julie Bishop, dismissed the announcement as nothing new, saying it was similar to a part of the Opposition's policy under former leader Mark Latham. Mr Rudd was earlier keen to stress his break with the so-called hit list schools policy, another feature of the Latham leadership, which wanted to give more government funding to public schools rather than private schools.

But Mr Rudd was coy about the details of how schools would all be assessed on the same basis for their funding.

Although he has promised that both private and public schools would be treated equally, Mr Rudd did not elaborate on the funding model that would be used.

Ms Bishop said it was difficult to see how more money would be available for schools.

"Kevin Rudd has merely repeated last year's pledge by former Labor leader Kim Beazley that no Catholic or independent school will be worse off. However, he has not committed to maintaining the current rate of increases to schools," she said.

"Labor is trying to hoodwink parents by imposing a freeze that will slowly strangle funding to Catholic and independent schools, rather than the sudden cuts of the hit-list policy."

The Australian Education Union said if Mr Rudd's funding model was based solely on need, the lion's share of funding would go to public schools.