Rudd extends schools deal deadline PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has extended the deadline for the states and territories to sign up to Labor's schools improvement plan by two weeks. The original deadline set by former leader Julia Gillard was Sunday, June 30. Under Rudd it will be around July 14. "Under my prime ministership we will support the national schools improvement plan for the nation's schools," Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra on Friday. The plan offers $14.5 billion for public and private schools over six years from 2014. The Commonwealth will provide 65 per cent, or $9.4 billion, of the total with the states stumping up the rest. So far only NSW, South Australia and the ACT have signed on. Mr Rudd now plans to sit down with the premiers of Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, and Northern Territory chief minister Adam Giles. "I look forward to my discussion when I return to the people's republic of Queensland to speak to the premier thereof, I'm sure I'll get a warm reception because all we Queenslanders bond closely particular after a State of Origin win," he said. Mr Rudd also flagged further discussions with the Catholic and Independent school sectors. "What is really important here also is the Catholic scheme, where much progress has been made in negotiations ... and the independent schools where frankly there is still a gap between their position and those held by the government," he said. He said Australia needs "certainty of future funding, and the parallel guarantee of the improvement of educational outcomes of Australian schools and their kids." Mr Rudd also paid tribute to the work Ms Gillard and former schools minister Peter Garrett did on the schools funding reforms. On the government's plans to pursue closer ties with business, Mr Rudd said he looked forward to spending time with business leaders and the trade union movement "pretty soon." He also planned to speak to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. "I look forward to actually having a civilised policy discussion, even if in private, with the leader of the opposition on some of the big challenges facing the country," Mr Rudd said. He again challenged Mr Abbott to a public debate on government debt and deficit at the National Press Club in the next week or so. Meanwhile, Mr Rudd is still to decide whether to travel to Indonesia next week but does plan to speak to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday afternoon about security issues. The prime minister again took issue with Mr Abbott's promise to turn back asylum seeker boats if he wins government, saying it could not be done given Indonesia had said it would not co-operate with such a policy. "I really wonder if he is trying to risk conflict with Indonesia ... there have been some pretty rough times in the relationship, I never want to see that again," Mr Rudd said. Mr Rudd said the coalition's "turn back the boats" policy could have foreign policy implications, if Mr Abbott won the election. "So what happens on day one when Field Marshall Tony puts out the order to the captain of the naval frigate X to turn back a bunch of boats," he said. And you have got a naval frigate from the Indonesian navy on the other side of the equation? Mr Rudd said Mr Abbott was on a "policy collision" with the government of Indonesia. "I am just putting a spotlight on a direct policy conflict," he said. Mr Abbott seeks to take personal political capital out of a three-line slogan. It has huge foreign policy consequences.