Author: Trevor Cobbold

Education is the forgotten issue of the Federal election campaign. Yet, it hasn’t stopped the promulgation of highly misleading statements about school performance and funding by the Acting Education Minister, Stuart Robert. He claimed on the 7.30 Report last week that the Government has increased funding for public schools by 113 per cent and 86 per cent for private schools yet Australia’s international results have decreased. Both claims are highly misleading.

Labor has chosen privilege over fairness in school funding. It has chosen to continue the massive over-funding of Australia’s wealthiest schools and dumped its commitment to fully fund public schools. It is a craven capitulation to the powerful interests in private schools. It denies resources to those most in need. Fairness in school funding has missed out in Labor’s election campaign.

Labor has endorsed Morrison’s massive over-funding of private schools, including hundreds of millions of dollars for the most exclusive schools in Australia. Labor Education Shadow Minister, Tanya Plibersek, recently said that “Catholic and independent schools will not have their funding touched” by a Labor Government. In doing so, she endorsed the rapacious greed of the wealthy for taxpayer resources.

Exclusive Independent schools are massively over-funded by the Morrison Government. Just 50 schools will be over-funded by nearly $400 million from 2022 to 2028 under the current funding arrangements, an average of $8 million per school (see Table below).

Many Victorian private schools are massively over-funded by the Commonwealth Government. Victorian Catholic education system and about one-third of Independent schools will be over-funded by $510 million by the Commonwealth Government from 2022 to 2028.

The Catholic system will be over-funded by $225 million and 67 Independent schools by $285 million. Just 33 Independent schools are over-funded by $224 million. They account for nearly 80% of the total over-funding of Independent schools. They include many of the most expensive and exclusive schools in Victoria.

Western Australian private schools are massively over-funded by the Commonwealth Government. The WA Catholic education system and about 40 per cent of Independent schools will be over-funded by $324 million by the Commonwealth Government from 2022 to 2028.

The Catholic system will be over-funded by $158 million and 56 Independent schools by $166 million. Just 14 Independent schools will be over-funded by $98 million. They include many of the most expensive and exclusive schools in Western Australia. The full list of over-funded Independent schools is in Attachment 1 below. The estimates are based on official figures presented to Senate Estimates.

Queensland private schools are massively over-funded by the Commonwealth Government. Queensland Catholic education system and about one-third of Independent schools will be over-funded by $665 million by the Commonwealth Government from 2022 to 2028.

The Catholic system will be over-funded by $384 million and 88 Independent schools by $271 million. Just 30 Independent schools are over-funded by $199 million. They account for nearly three-quarters of the total over-funding of Independent schools. They include many of the most expensive and exclusive schools in Queensland.

NSW private schools are massively over-funded by the Commonwealth Government. Estimates based on official figures presented to Senate Estimate show that the NSW Catholic education system and nearly 40% of Independent schools will be over-funded by $865 million by the Commonwealth Government from 2022 to 2028.

The Catholic system will be over-funded by $366 million and 137 Independent schools by $499 million. Just 41 Independent schools will be over-funded by $340 million (see Table below). They account for two-thirds of the total over-funding of all NSW Independent schools. They include many of the most expensive and exclusive schools in NSW.

Public schools in NSW face a funding crisis. Combined Commonwealth and NSW Government funding for private schools has increased by three times that for public schools since 2009-10. Projected funding estimates show that private schools will be over-funded by $2 billion for the rest of the decade while public schools will be under-funded by $21 billion.

Public schools in Victoria face a funding crisis. Combined Commonwealth and Victorian Government funding for private schools has increased by four times that for public schools since 2009-10. Projected funding estimates show that private schools will be over-funded by about $730 million for the rest of the decade while public schools will be under-funded by nearly $20 billion.

New figures show that government funding increases have massively favoured private schools over public schools in Victoria since 2009-10. Between 2009-10 and 2019-20 government funding for private schools increased by $2,582 per student, adjusted for inflation, compared to $667 per student for public schools [Chart 1]. In percentage terms, private school funding increased by 27.9% compared to only 5% for public schools.