Gonski bill rights moral wrong: PM - Sydney Morning Herald

AAP

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Labor will target and eradicate the "great moral wrong" faced by children who do not have access to educational opportunities.

Ms Gillard on Wednesday introduced legislation to parliament in response to the Gonski schools funding review, saying the bill would enshrine in law "our nation's expectations for our children's achievements at school".

"This is a distinctively Labor plan for a matter of the highest Labor purpose: to eradicate the great moral wrong which sees some Australian children denied the transformative power of a great education," she told the lower house.

"It is now clear, with the information we have today, that in Australian schools it is the poorer kids who have been let down the most in the past."

The prime minister said the "ruling passion" of her life was to ensure no child missed out on quality education.

"All my determination, all our resolve is directed towards getting this done," she said.

Australian Education Union federal president Angelo Gavrielatos said he was confident Labor would achieve the proposed funding reform, which is expected to cost the federal, state and territory governments about $6.5 billion a year.

"Not only are we confident, we have every expectation that an agreement will be achieved between the commonwealth and the states," he told reporters in Canberra.

"The state premiers must step up now and negotiate in earnest."

But opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said the bill was devoid of detail.

"Labor has introduced an empty shell this morning as a desperate distraction," he said in a statement.

"The prime minister calls this a uniquely Labor bill and she is right - it is all spin over substance, a classic Labor hoax."

Neither he nor Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was present in the lower house when Ms Gillard introduced the bill.

"This was one of the most significant moments in the history of schools funding and yet they chose to ignore it," Mr Gavrielatos said.

The explanatory memorandum accompanying the Australian Education Bill 2012 legislation says: "There is no financial impact associated with the bill."

The bill also contains a clause stating nothing contained in the laws will be legally enforceable.

However, federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett has previously said the legislation would be changed once agreement was reached with states, territories and private education authorities.

The nation's education ministers are expected to provide initial advice on the structure of a funding system to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting on December 7.

Ms Gillard wants COAG to sign the funding agreement at its first meeting next year, which is likely to be in March.