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April 13th, 2013 
Higher Education Minister Craig Emerson will announce tough budget cuts at a press conference shortly. Picture: Ray Strange
Source: The Daily Telegraph
TOUGH budget cuts to universities will be unveiled by the Gillard government today to help explain how it will fund the multi-billion dollar bill to improve the nation’s schools.
The surprise announcement was delivered by Wayne Swan in a statement today and Higher Education Minister Craig Emerson is holding a press conference shortly. It will save $500 million.
“The Government will better target work related self-education expense deductions as part of a package of reforms to make a down-payment on the National Plan for School Improvement,” Mr Swan said in a statement.
“The Government values the investments people make in their own skills and recognises the benefits of a tax deduction for work related self-education expenses. However, under current arrangements these deductions are unlimited and provide an opportunity for people to enjoy significant private benefits at taxpayers’ expense.
“Education expenses include formal qualifications and associated tuition fees, textbooks, stationery and travel expenses and also conferences, seminars and self-organised study tours. “
From 1 July 2014, work related self-education expenses will be more fairly targeted through an annual cap of $2,000 a person, Mr Swan said.
The Prime Minister was repeatedly warned that tough measures will be required in the May budget to pay for the reforms and the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Labor’s razor gang, the expenditure review committee has worked throughout the week to finalise the savings.
Warning “the end game” had arrived on schools funding the Prime Minister will attempt to thrash out a deal with state premiers on schools funding at Friday’s COAG meeting.
She has promised to deliver billions of dollars more for struggling private and public schools but warned the states they will not be allowed to scale back their own state funding as a condition of the deal. The current four-year funding schools deal with the states expires in 2014.
The new schools funding deal will include a national benchmark minimum for spending on every student and every school with increased loadings based on the location of the schools and the number of disadvantaged students.
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