The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (12:23): I take note of an answer provided by the Treasurer regarding funding for education. My recollection is a bit different to the Hon. Cameron Murphy's. If I was marking it, I would say that the Treasurer could do better in his negotiations. I say that because 1.3 million students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the NAPLAN test earlier this year, and the results reveal that one in three Australian school students are not meeting literacy and numeracy benchmarks. Furthermore, one in 10 students need additional support. What makes me even angrier is the difference between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, where 24 per cent of non‑metropolitan students meet or exceed benchmarks, compared with 76 per cent of metropolitan students. Education delivery should not be determined on where a person lives. More than 29 per cent of students in New South Wales are now what is considered below the national standard.

Now is not the time to cut education funding. I know that there are negotiations, but the education Minister announced in April that public school budgets would be slashed by $148 million and, further, that deputy principals would be forced to return to classrooms to fill teacher shortages gaps. The Opposition leader has said that the Government has lost control of the State's finances and that cuts would lead to declining outcomes for New South Wales students. I hate to say that that is coming true. Right when students need more support, the Government is letting them down.