**The core facts are partially accurate but require significant context.**
The Coalition did announce in November 2013, within weeks of taking office, that it would scrap Labor's Gonski school funding model and renegotiate with states [1].
* * * *
Education Minister Christopher Pyne confirmed the Government would honor funding for 2014 but implement a new "flatter, fairer and simpler" model beyond that [2].
Before the 2013 election, the Coalition promised to match Labor's school funding for the next **four years** - the period covered by the forward estimates in the budget [3][4].
Coalition MPs, including Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne, consistently stated they were on a "unity ticket" with Labor on school funding **for the four years of the forward estimates** [1][4].
The Senate Education and Employment Committee's 2014 inquiry confirmed that under the Australian Education Act 2013, the needs-based funding model legislated by Labor would operate for the initial four years, but the Coalition's changes to indexation arrangements post-2017 would significantly alter the funding trajectory [5].
**The claim omits several critical pieces of context:**
1. **Labor's $1.2 billion shortfall:** Before the election, Labor had removed $1.2 billion from the education budget after failing to secure agreements with Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory [1][2].
The Coalition actually committed to putting $230 million of this back into school funding for 2014, meaning schools in those three jurisdictions received more than they would have under Labor's plan [1].
2. **The difference between forward estimates and full implementation:** The "four years" versus "six years" distinction arises from the difference between budget forward estimates (which cover 4 years) and Labor's aspirational timeline for full Gonski implementation by 2020.
The Coalition promised to match funding for the forward estimates period (4 years), not for Labor's full 6-year rollout timeline [3][4].
3. **States that hadn't signed up:** Three jurisdictions (WA, Queensland, NT) had not signed Gonski agreements with Labor.
The Coalition provided them funding to bring them into line with other states for 2014 [1][2].
4. **The nature of the agreements:** The Coalition argued that "no government can bind any future government" and that the agreements were subject to change after an election [2].
Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett publicly supported this view, stating that states who signed up needed to "get real" as "it's a political process" [1].
ABC News and SBS News (sources [1], [2], [3], [4]) are Australia's public broadcasters, generally considered authoritative and balanced in their news coverage.
While it is an official parliamentary source, it reflects the political composition of the committee at that time and should be read as a committee opinion rather than bipartisan consensus.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Search conducted: "Labor government school funding changes previous government"
Labor's Gonski reforms themselves represented a significant departure from previous school funding arrangements.
* * * *
The National Plan for School Improvement (NPSI) replaced the previous funding model and involved renegotiating arrangements with states [5].
When Labor came to power in 2007, it also made substantial changes to education funding, including ending the previous Howard government's funding model for non-government schools.
The 2011 Gonski Review itself was commissioned by the Gillard government to address what Labor viewed as fundamental inequities in the existing system [5].
In terms of broken promises or renegotiated agreements, the Rudd/Gillard governments also faced criticism for delays in Gonski implementation and for the fact that several states (WA, Queensland, NT) never signed agreements before the 2013 election - meaning Labor itself had not fully delivered on its Gonski commitments by the time it left office [1][2].
* * * * 「 「 違背 wéi bèi 承諾 chéng nuò 」 」 的 de 說 shuō 法 fǎ 只 zhǐ 捕捉 bǔ zhuō 了 le 複 fù 雜 zá 政策 zhèng cè 爭議 zhēng yì 的 de 一面 yí miàn 。 。
**The "broken promise" narrative captures only one side of a complex policy dispute.**
While critics, including state premiers from Labor jurisdictions, accused the Coalition of breaking an election promise [1], the Coalition maintained it was honoring its commitment to match Labor's funding for the forward estimates period (4 years).
* * * *
The claim that the Coalition promised "6 years" is inaccurate - they explicitly promised 4 years, which they delivered [3][4].
Labor had itself left a $1.2 billion hole in the funding by failing to secure state agreements
The counter-argument from education stakeholders was that:
1.
Changes to indexation post-2017 would result in significant long-term funding reductions (estimated at $30 billion by Senate Committee estimates) [5]
**Key context:** The claim that the Coalition committed to "3 fewer years" is technically incorrect because the Coalition never promised 6 years - they promised 4 years.
The dispute is more about whether the Coalition created an impression of complete continuity that they didn't deliver, rather than a clear breach of a specific numerical commitment.
The claim contains elements of truth but is misleading in important respects.
Coalition Coalition 確實 què shí 放棄 fàng qì 了 le Gonski Gonski 模式 mó shì 並與 bìng yǔ 各州 gè zhōu 重新 chóng xīn 協商 xié shāng , , 造成 zào chéng 了 le 重大 zhòng dà 的 de 政策 zhèng cè 動盪 dòng dàng 。 。
The Coalition did abandon the Gonski model and renegotiate with states, creating significant policy disruption.
然而 rán ér , , 聲稱 shēng chēng 他們 tā men 「 「 承諾 chéng nuò 的 de 年限 nián xiàn 比選前 bǐ xuǎn qián 承諾少 chéng nuò shǎo 了 le 3 3 年 nián 」 」 是 shì 不正 bù zhèng 確的 què de — — — — 他們 tā men 承諾 chéng nuò 配合 pèi hé 遠期 yuǎn qī 預估 yù gū 期間 qī jiān ( ( 4 4 年 nián ) ) 的 de Labor Labor 資金 zī jīn , , 並且 bìng qiě 已經 yǐ jīng 履行 lǚ xíng 。 。
However, the assertion that they committed to "3 fewer years than their pre-election promise" is incorrect - they promised to match Labor's funding for the 4-year forward estimates period, which they honored.
Labor's 6-year timeline to full implementation was never promised by the Coalition.
從 cóng 6 6 年 nián ( ( Labor Labor 的 de 期望 qī wàng 時間 shí jiān 表 biǎo ) ) 減少 jiǎn shǎo 到 dào 4 4 年 nián ( ( Coalition Coalition 的 de 實施 shí shī ) ) 反映 fǎn yìng 了 le 不同 bù tóng 的 de 政策 zhèng cè 方法 fāng fǎ , , 而 ér 非 fēi 對 duì 期限 qī xiàn 承諾 chéng nuò 的 de 違背 wéi bèi 。 。
The reduction from 6 years (Labor's aspirational timeline) to 4 years (Coalition's implementation) reflects different policy approaches, not a broken promise on duration.
此聲 cǐ shēng 稱將 chēng jiāng Labor Labor 的 de 完整 wán zhěng Gonski Gonski 時間 shí jiān 表 biǎo 與 yǔ Coalition Coalition 實際 shí jì 的 de 選前 xuǎn qián 承諾 chéng nuò 混為 hùn wèi 一談 yī tán 。 。
The claim conflates Labor's full Gonski timeline with the Coalition's actual pre-election commitments.
The claim contains elements of truth but is misleading in important respects.
Coalition Coalition 確實 què shí 放棄 fàng qì 了 le Gonski Gonski 模式 mó shì 並與 bìng yǔ 各州 gè zhōu 重新 chóng xīn 協商 xié shāng , , 造成 zào chéng 了 le 重大 zhòng dà 的 de 政策 zhèng cè 動盪 dòng dàng 。 。
The Coalition did abandon the Gonski model and renegotiate with states, creating significant policy disruption.
然而 rán ér , , 聲稱 shēng chēng 他們 tā men 「 「 承諾 chéng nuò 的 de 年限 nián xiàn 比選前 bǐ xuǎn qián 承諾少 chéng nuò shǎo 了 le 3 3 年 nián 」 」 是 shì 不正 bù zhèng 確的 què de — — — — 他們 tā men 承諾 chéng nuò 配合 pèi hé 遠期 yuǎn qī 預估 yù gū 期間 qī jiān ( ( 4 4 年 nián ) ) 的 de Labor Labor 資金 zī jīn , , 並且 bìng qiě 已經 yǐ jīng 履行 lǚ xíng 。 。
However, the assertion that they committed to "3 fewer years than their pre-election promise" is incorrect - they promised to match Labor's funding for the 4-year forward estimates period, which they honored.
Labor's 6-year timeline to full implementation was never promised by the Coalition.
從 cóng 6 6 年 nián ( ( Labor Labor 的 de 期望 qī wàng 時間 shí jiān 表 biǎo ) ) 減少 jiǎn shǎo 到 dào 4 4 年 nián ( ( Coalition Coalition 的 de 實施 shí shī ) ) 反映 fǎn yìng 了 le 不同 bù tóng 的 de 政策 zhèng cè 方法 fāng fǎ , , 而 ér 非 fēi 對 duì 期限 qī xiàn 承諾 chéng nuò 的 de 違背 wéi bèi 。 。
The reduction from 6 years (Labor's aspirational timeline) to 4 years (Coalition's implementation) reflects different policy approaches, not a broken promise on duration.
此聲 cǐ shēng 稱將 chēng jiāng Labor Labor 的 de 完整 wán zhěng Gonski Gonski 時間 shí jiān 表 biǎo 與 yǔ Coalition Coalition 實際 shí jì 的 de 選前 xuǎn qián 承諾 chéng nuò 混為 hùn wèi 一談 yī tán 。 。
The claim conflates Labor's full Gonski timeline with the Coalition's actual pre-election commitments.