Shorten decries WA school cuts

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten denies it's a cynical move to highlight state issues during a federal election campaign.

Mr Shorten is in Perth ahead of a mass teachers' strike on Tuesday and Saturday's Senate election re-run.

He will attend the protest against school funding and education job cuts, as he did before last year's federal election when he addressed a large group of state school teachers and education assistants as they delivered a complaint to the WA Parliament.

Speaking at Belmont Primary School in the city's east on Monday, Mr Shorten has again decried the cuts by the Liberal WA government, saying Prime Minister Tony Abbott was "giving the green light to education cuts at the state level".

Last year the WA government announced plans to cut hundreds of education jobs, freeze teacher numbers and reduce funding for some special programs to improve literacy, numeracy, attendance and behaviour as part of public sector cuts to reign in state debt.

"We are concerned that Tony Abbott wants to be a federal prime minister in the mold that Colin Barnett is as state premier," Mr Shorten said.

"We are concerned that education cuts are occurring in Western Australia and if Tony Abbott gets a rubber stamp in his senate, that we'll see further cuts to West Australian schools."

Mr Shorten rejected the suggestion voters would view his comments as cynical ahead of Saturday's poll.

"Tony Abbott's the one who introduced state issues by saying he models himself on Colin Barnett.

"I think the cynicism is the Commission of Audit ... where they know what cuts they're thinking of, but they won't tell people.

"There are very few things more cynical."

Last time teachers walked off the job to protest the cuts, 62 schools were closed for the day. This time, 90 schools will close their doors.

WA education minister Peter Collier said it was no coincidence teachers were striking days before an election.

"As usual, Labor is telling the Australian people untruths," Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Perth on Monday.

Mr Abbott said the Labor party had taken $1.2 billion in schools funding out of pre-election forward estimates last year "to try to make its books look better".

But that money had been returned by the Liberals, he said.

"So the money that Bill Shorten took out, we've put back."

He also praised Mr Barnett for the state's independent public schools model, which had "trailblazed the way forward" for state schools around the country.

"I certainly would like to see more independent public schools," Mr Abbott said.