Key Points
- More than half of private schools in Australia now receive more funding per student than comparable public schools.
- The funding gap per student is as large as $7,282, according to Australian Education Union data.
- The public school funding shortfall from reaching 100 per cent of the resource standard is $4.3 billion in 2024.
The largest gap recorded was $7282 per student between two comparable private and public schools in Victoria.
The SRS is the minimum funding level a school needs to meet its students’ educational needs. It is calculated by the federal Department of Education each school year.
‘Governments have lost their way’
The AEU’s report is based on school finance data that shows more than half of the nation’s private schools (56 per cent) receive more combined government funding per student than public schools of similar size, location and with similar student needs.
A coalition of education ministers join the Australian Education Union (AEU) federal president Correna Haythorpe to appeal for school funding on Wednesday. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Union president Correna Haythorpe said the findings create urgency for public schools to be fully funded by all governments.
“Since 2011, governments have lost their way with school funding.”
This year, the public school funding shortfall from failing to reach 100 per cent of SRS was recorded at $4.3 billion.
The government’s conditional offer
The largest gap in Western Australia is a private school funded by the government at $3,608 more per student than a comparable public school.
Education Minister Jason Clare has asked five states holding out on a deal for federal public school funding to sign up. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
“I want to do the same sort of deal across the rest of the country, and I’ve got $16 billion to do it,” he will tell the NSW Secondary Deputy Principals’ Association on Friday.
Next month, Clare will introduce legislation to axe the 20 per cent federal funding cap “and make that a floor to build upon”.