Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright has urged all states and territories to get behind the Gonski reforms as updated legislation was released to Parliament this afternoon.

The Australian Greens welcomed today's amendments to the Australian Education Act and said it was the first step in fixing an inequitable school system.

"Australian public schools have been chronically underfunded for years and it now remains for every state and territory to get on board and to fix an old, broken system," Senator Wright said.

The NT Government has prioritised incarceration over education by rejecting the Gonski school reforms while pouring money into the bottomless pit of jail funding, say the Australian Greens.

Australian Greens spokesperson on Education and Legal Affairs Senator Penny Wright said low levels of literacy and numeracy among jailed youth showed this was the wrong approach.

"Chief Minister Adam Giles says the NT can't scrape together $106 million over six years for a better future for Northern Territory kids," Senator Wright said.

"Another signature on the dotted line is a credit to the community campaigning for Gonski," says Senator Penny Wright, Greens spokesperson for schools.

"It is great news for the students of the ACT and will hopefully trigger a rush of further signatures in the coming weeks.

"But it is now imperative Labor updates the legislation and passes it through Parliament without delay.

"The clock is ticking and the future of Australian education is too important to leave to Tony Abbott.

The 2013 Labor Budget will do little to ease the stress on Australians. Senator Penny Wright talks about what was in the budget and what more could be done in each of her portfolio areas.

Education

What's in the budget:

• $9.8 billion in new school funding
• $3 billion in next the next four years, $6 billion to come in the following two years

What I think:

The 2013 Labor Budget will do little to ease the stress on country South Australians, say Australian Greens Senators Sarah Hanson Young and Penny Wright.

"Labor has spent more time listening to mining companies, the big banks and their factions than the people in rural and regional communities," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"The Greens stood up for regional South Australia during the Murray Darling Basin debate while our colleagues in the old parties and those upstream tried to sell us down the river.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott must re-evaluate his position on the Gonski school funding reforms in light of New South Wales's partnership with the Federal Government, say the Australian Greens.

Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright welcomed Premier O'Farrell's clear show of leadership today and said other premiers must be quick to follow his example in getting on with Gonski.

The Australian Greens have called on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to visit disadvantaged public schools before pledging to repeal any Gonski legislation.

Australian Greens spokesperson for Schools Senator Penny Wright said Mr Abbott's comments showed tremendous ignorance about systemic inequality in Australian schools.

"Mr Abbott needs to see for himself the strain so many of our public schools are under," Senator Wright said.

The Australian Greens have expressed disappointment and frustration that COAG has wasted an historic opportunity to deliver fair funding for Australian schools.

"It is totally unacceptable the Liberal state governments are playing politics with education, while Australian children are missing out," Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said