Labor claims that the Coalition Government has axed funding for public schools by $14 billion since it took office ' an accusation it has pushed through a campaign website. But Labor's claim is misleading. Under the Coalition, public school funding has grown each year and is projected to continue that way over the forward estimates. The sum cited by Labor refers to the difference between what the two major parties plan to spend over the decade to 2027, with funding growth projected to be smaller under Coalition. But as RMIT ABC Fact Check has argued before ' both in 2014, when Labor claimed $30 billion was being cut from all school sectors, and in 2017, when that figure became $22 billion ' smaller increases are not the same as decreases. In these cases where long-term funding projections are involved, the numbers are unreliable because they do not account for changes to the political or economic landscape. Justifying Labor's $14 billion claim, Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek accused the Government of breaking its promises to match Labor's commitments. However, the incoming Abbott government only promised to match the portion of Labor's schools funding set out in the budget papers, for the four years from 2014 to 2017. And when the Coalition came to office in 2013, not all states and territories had signed agreements with Labor.
Verdict: Misleading