1. What the parties have pledged on education…  

Published in partnership with Crikey, the PromiseWatch 2013 series captures snapshots of the major parties’ platforms in major policy areas

By CPD Researcher Julia Hosking and Crikey Senior Journalist Andrew Crook

The problem with the Gonski Review into education, Kevin Rudd told his former speechwriter in March, was that the vast majority of voters had no idea what “Gonski” means. In the manner of modern Labor governments, a commitment to increased funding for education — which has the support of three-quarters of the Australian population — had somehow become swaddled in the language of the “independent review” necessary to justify it.

Nevertheless, today the Prime Minister will announce her intention to plough forward with the government’s promises on Gonski, worth an extra $14.5 billion in federal and state funding, despite a $12 billion collapse in revenue since MYEFO.

Earlier this year, Crikey began to track Coalition, Labor and Greens promises. Now, with the aid of exclusive research compiled for Crikey by theCentre for Policy Development, we’ll track promises across policy areas, starting today with education. What have the two major parties, and the Greens, actually pledged on schools and universities?