00:00Ambervale High School in Sydney's far south-west is one of the most disadvantaged in the country,
00:10but it's also a place of transformation.
00:13Every year we are completely changing the trajectory of a whole generation.
00:20Principal Louise Barno-Clement can relate to these kids.
00:24This school is one of the best schools in Sydney, wonderful principal, she's a nice
00:29one.
00:30The first in her family to go to university, she dropped out of law school to follow her
00:34heart.
00:35It's a calling, I think it's such important social work as well as obviously educational
00:41work.
00:45Some of the students have never been as far as the CBD.
00:48Louise tries to level life's playing field.
00:51So you may not have been to the opera house, you may not have seen a musical, you may not
00:57have gone to the theatre, there are so many things that other children and young people
01:03get because their families can't afford it.
01:08Students are hungry to be the first person in their family to go to uni.
01:12Year 11 student Amy Hale is preparing to support herself through her future studies.
01:18I couldn't have done my barista training without the school because I wouldn't be able to afford
01:22it.
01:23It's a really expensive course to do and the school covered the entire cost of it.
01:26Extra funding means heartbreaking choices.
01:29So the best way to explain it would be to say at the moment I can close equity gaps
01:35in pockets but the dream of being able to do it for everyone.
01:41Across Australia public schools are about $5 billion short of their Gonski minimum funding
01:46targets every year.
01:48That's a lot of buildings, support staff and extra resources for the more than 2 million
01:53students at public schools.
01:55At public schools states pay for 80% of costs and the Commonwealth 20%.
02:00The Commonwealth is offering to lift its share of funding public schools to 22.5% at a cost
02:05of about $16 billion.
02:08Western Australia and the Northern Territory have signed on but the other states say they
02:12won't do a deal unless the offer is doubled.
02:15Our kids are missing out by more than $1000 a year in public schools.
02:20I can't really sleep at night if that's what our kids are experiencing in our schools.
02:25New South Wales Minister Prue Carr is leading the states and teachers pushing for more money.
02:30We're pretty much all in unison saying that's clearly not enough.
02:35Our members have had enough.
02:37We are now going to campaign on this issue in the lead up to the next federal election.
02:41For now the Commonwealth insists it's made a fair and final offer.
02:45Back at Ambervale their warning of funding failure will sting for generations.
02:50What do we want as a nation?
02:52Do we want a nation in which all of our young people are entitled to the same quality of
02:56education?
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