The Australian Education Union is today launching an online advertisement warning that the Coalition’s $3 billion in cuts to education will take Australia backwards.

AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said the advertisement used mixed up footage from Mr Abbott’s numerous sporting endeavours to convey a message about the absurdity of the cuts.

“All parties should be promising to invest more, not less in public education,” he said.

“It is hard to believe that any party would be denying our children resources and learning opportunities.

“Sadly, the Coalition’s primary commitment in education has been to cut $3 billion.

Those cuts will disproportionately affect public schools and include the abolition of the Computers in Schools program and the Trade Training Centres in Schools program.

“The Coalition has also promised to keep the discredited federal funding system intact which will lead to a cut in the share of funding public schools receive.

“New research shows that public schools, which teach more than two thirds of students, will only get one third of the funding under Tony Abbott.

“Cutting spending and the public school share of funding, along with making private school fees tax deductible, is a strategy that will lead to the privatisation of education.

“It is the wrong approach. Only through well-resourced public schools can we ensure every child has the opportunity to get a high-quality education.”