The Federal Opposition has announced that under a Coalition Government, Government school Principals would be given management of BER funds.

The proposal is detailed in a paper entitled "The Coalition's Real Action Plan to Stop Labor's School Hall Waste and Provide a Schools Building Boost".

In a joint announcement Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Shadow Education Minister Christopher Pyne claim that "the bulk of government schools will be able to save around one third of their total funding through the efficient self-management of projects, hiring local contractors, shopping around, and controlling the budget". This money would be retained by the school under the Opposition's plan.

The plan is based on the principle that CSA, and others, have been articulating for some time, that local governance over such projects provides greater efficiency and better outcomes, more responsive to community need. This is the way that funds have been utilised to great effect by independent schools, overseen by the Block Grant Authorities.

Non-Government Schools

The plan and accompanying press release do not address the issue of BER funding in non-government schools. However in an email to CSA the Shadow Minister said:

Please note, that the current non-government sector arrangements will not be changed – projects will continue to be managed in their current form through existing Block Grant Authority provisions.

However, where efficiencies and savings have been made for school projects, the non-government sector will have the added benefit of the Coalition’s more flexible provisions. The remainder of the funding entitlement will be used to support projects or additional works beyond the originally approved project for individual schools.

It would seem that BGA Guidelines may need to be amended to give full effect to this.

Additional

As we have argued in this blog the issue of capital funding for schools is broader than the future of the BER. Neither major party has yet addressed the issue of funding for future growth, which we see as a key part of the current review of funding.