The Queensland government has abandoned the Gonski reforms in its new school funding plan, says Australian Greens spokesperson for Schools Senator Penny Wright.

“Making students meet certain literacy and numeracy standards before providing extra funding is going completely against what the Gonski reforms are all about,” Senator Wright said.

“Gonski is about directing funding to where it will help – not withholding funding from schools who are struggling.

The Abbott Government has created fresh uncertainty about extra funding for students with a disability, says Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright.

Senator Wright said she would pursue the truth of the Abbott Government's plans when Parliament resumed in February, following reports of a $2 billion hole under the disability funding model as part of the Gonski plan.

Did you hear the one about the "leftist" agenda hidden in our curriculum? No? Huh - I must have missed it too.

But education minister Christopher Pyne launched a two-man crusade to pick over the National Curriculum last week, to weed out so-called partisan bias.

The Abbott Government's broken promises and mismanagement of the Gonski school funding model will be examined by a special senate committee established today.

Australian Greens spokesperson for Schools Senator Penny Wright encouraged parents, teachers and schools to make submissions.

"If Mr Pyne and Mr Abbott won't do their homework, we'll do it for them before they have the opportunity to tear down the best chance our kids have had to get a world-class education," Senator Wright said.

Students at country schools will continue to be disadvantaged if the Gonski school funding scheme is not adequately implemented, the Senate has resolved today.

In a motion put by Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright, it was confirmed extra funding was need for kids in country schools to reach the same level as city students.

"Christopher Pyne's no-strings-attached backflip means the extra money is now not guaranteed to get to students in the bush," Senator Wright said.

I move that the Senate:

1.       notes:

a.       the results of the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment  of students' mathematical, scientific and reading literacy, published on 3 December 2013, which showed students attending provincial and remote schools were performing as much as two years of schooling behind students in metropolitan schools;

Australia's decline in the PISA rankings released tonight put further pressure on the Abbott Government to ensure needs-based school funding across the nation, says Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright.

"These results are a wake-up call for the Abbott Government," Senator Wright said.

"Compared to other nations, Australia has a large gap between the highest and lowest performing students. If we do not address this, we will not be able to raise Australia's overall education performance.

I move that the Senate

1.       notes:

a.       needs-based funding, where money is distributed equitably according to need, is essential to ensuring all students can access high-quality education;

b.      that disadvantage occurs in all sectors of schooling, but is concentrated in government schools;

c.       the discredited SES funding model was responsible for increasing inequity; and

Interview with Senator Penny Wright, Australian Greens spokesperson for Schools, on Abbott's change of heart on Gonski.