National contributions - AEU

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The year in education will be remembered for Gonski, without question. Despite the naysayers, the former Labor Government secured six year Gonski agreements with five of the eight states and territories. Over 100,000 Australians have registered their support for Gonski via www.igiveagonski.com.au. Such was the groundswell of support over the past year, the Coalition found itself increasingly isolated on the issue. At the last minute they did an extraordinary policy backflip to try and neutralise Gonski as an election issue: they committed one third of the Gonski funding. The community now understands the equity argument for schools funding. The education headlines from this year that we didn't want were the savage education cuts for schools in QLD, WA and NT (no coincidence that these are the three jurisdictions who didn't sign up to Gonski), and savage cuts to TAFEs across the country.