Greens open to talks on school funding

Greens leader Richard Di Natale says his party is open to having a conversation with the federal government about its proposed new funding arrangements for schools.

Senator Di Natale says the government has put the issue of needs-based funding firmly on the national agenda.

"We are open to a conversation about it. We want to make sure that this package has, at its heart, a much greater investment in those kids that need it most," he told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Under the federal plan, which will require the support of parliament, funding will grow from $17.5 billion in 2017 to $22.1 billion by 2021, and $30.6 billion by 2027.

Twenty-seven different school funding agreements entered into by the former Labor government would be replaced with a single, national needs-based funding model that will deliver across government and non-government schools.

Education reformer David Gonski, who led the landmark Labor-initiated 2011 review, has also agreed to head a new review into improving the quality of schools.

Senator Di Natale said the previous Labor plan had flaws and it was still "early days" in regard to the coalition's proposals.

But he said it was absolutely critical for the focus of the ongoing debate to be about kids and the education they received.

"We need to do better. We have to do better. At the moment we are failing our children," he said.