A down-payment in the upcoming budget on more education spending, in line with the Gonski report's recommendations, would demonstrate a genuine commitment to real reform, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today urged the Gillard government to provide a timeline for the new funding formula for schools and the Commonwealth to deliver a clear commitment to provide the bulk of the funding, starting with a down-payment in the May budget.

"The Prime Minister has said there is disadvantage in our schooling system. This will continue if we don't act now," Senator Brown said in Canberra.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, speaking to reporters in Hobart, urges the federal government not to delay on heeding the Gonski Review's call for billions of dollars to be injected into the school system.

Senator Brown commented on Premier Giddings' vilification of environmentalists and also described how, amid all the turbulence in federal politics, the Greens are getting on with the job, be it education or protecting the great wild forests of Tasmania.

A high-quality, equitable, well-funded public education system striving for excellence is the guarantee of a healthy and productive society. Let's go!, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

An immediate down-payment of $120 million for Tasmanian schools would ensure that the state's 83,294 students are leading the way when it comes to their education, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart today.

"With close to 60,000 students enrolled in 202 government schools across the state, the Gonski Review's recommendations would see much-needed investment in Tasmania's public education system," Senator Brown said.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown spoke to journalists about the release of the Gonski report into Australia's education. He called on both the government and the opposition to support an increase in education funding to bring Australian results into line with similar OECD nations.

He also called on Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings to apologise for her claims that there have been incidents of tree spiking in Tasmania's forests.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown has called on the Gillard Government to heed the Gonski review calls and put in an immediate injection of between $5-10 billion into Australian schools.

“Peter Garrett has said there won’t be any loss of funding for any school but what he hasn’t said is what the additional funding will be for schools in need. 

“The Gonski review is a huge opportunity for action. But only the Greens besides Gonski are saying that more funding is essential and how to get it. 

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown welcomes the Public Schools for Our Future campaigners to Canberra, and is presented with a school tie from his old high school, Blacktown, by AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos.

Bob Brown releases a background paper on Greens policy on education funding, calling for the decoupling of funding for private and public schools. He comments on the likely success of pokie machine reform and the Greens' proposal for a $1 bet limit and discusses the imminent start of logging in areas due to be protected under the forests intergovernmental agreement. 

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today released a background paper on schools funding and said the Gillard government should commit to introducing and passing legislation for the reformed schools funding system this year.

"Australia is long overdue for a multi-billion dollar injection into public schools. We also need to better fund the teaching of Indigenous languages that are at risk of disappearing, as well as boosting Asian languages, science and music," Senator Brown said.