Premier Colin Barnett defends rejecting Gonski education reforms WA Premier Colin Barnett has defended his decision not to sign up for the Gonski education reforms. NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell. PREMIER Colin Barnett says he's not surprised NSW signed up to the Gillard Government's Gonski reforms because it has "under-funded" its school system for decades. NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell yesterday agreed to sign up to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's school funding reforms, after negotiating a discount in the amount of additional funding to be provided by state. Responding to the announcement during a radio interview this morning, Mr Barnett said the he was not surprised Mr O'Farrell had signed up. "If you've got a school system which has been under-funded for probably decades and you've been offered $5 billion worth of money to try and bring it up to speed I can understand why you might take that, very hard to resist it," Mr Barnett said. He said he was concerned the reforms, which see WA secure additional funding of just $300 million over six years, would give the Federal Government greater control over education policy. "This whole method of funding would mean that the State Government over time would spend less on State Government schools and more on Catholic and independent schools," he said. They're trying to direct how State Government money is spent. State Budget forward estimates show the WA Government would cut its education budget by $316 million over the next four years by way of any "efficiency dividend." When asked about this on radio, Mr Barnett said budget estimates could not be relied on. "You never believe forward estimates," Mr Barnett said. I've always been critical of forward estimates because they are best guesses at the future, they are not the budget. And people consistently misinterpret forward estimates as being the budget. They are not, they are what is projected; the likely scenario. However he conceded the Government were: "probably going to have to make some savings in that area regardless of Gonski." Speaking to The Sunday Times last week, Mr Barnett said he would continue to lobby the Federal Government on both the Gonski reforms and the GST carve up. "People talk about fiscal equalisation in Australia, that weaker states should be supported, I accept that principal but I don't accept Western Australia should bear the sole responsibility for basically supporting Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory," he said. We are bearing the greatest burden of that. Not the Commonwealth and not any other of the big states and that is grossly unfair. People made fun of Western Australia, in a light hearted way, talking about our streets being paved with gold at COAG, comments like that. It just shows they don't realise our population is growing and over half of the state government budget goes on education and health.