Funding – Page 2 – SOS Australia

Tom Greenwell Reply to SOS

sosaustralia / May 11, 2026 / Funding, Public education

Tome Greenwell,co-author of Waiting for Gonski, has submitted the following comment on t our post Canada is No Solution. The comment is published in the interest of frthering public debate on an important issue in school funding in Australia.

In Ontario around 93 percent of students attend public schools. Two thirds of these public schools are secular, while one third are faith-based. But all are fully publicly funded and completely free; and all are required to enrol students from a local enrolment zone. The socioeconomic profile of the students in the faith-based schools is almost exactly the same as those in the secular schools. Social segregation is much lower in Ontario’s schools than Australia’s. The very small fee-charging private school sector serves around 7 percent of students and receives no public funding.

Victorian Budget Must Fix Public School Funding Crisis

Trevor Cobbold / April 29, 2026 / Funding

These are the key points of a new brief on the state of school funding in Victoria. The full paper can be downloaded below.

Victorian public schools face a funding crisis that must be addressed in the forthcoming Victorian Government Budget.

Public schools are massively underfunded and have been since the Gonski funding model was introduced in 2014 to ensure they are fully funded at the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS). In 2026, Victoria’s public schools are only funded at 86% of their SRS. Total underfunding is estimated at $2.2 billion.
Public schools are underfunded because of underfunding by both the Commonwealth and Victorian governments and because of “accounting tricks” used by the Victorian Government to defraud public schools

Resource Increases in NSW Private Schools Outstrip Public Schools

Trevor Cobbold / April 9, 2026 / Funding

New figures show that Independent schools have a major resource advantage over Catholic and public schools in NSW. Government funding increases have favoured Catholic and Independent schools over public schools since 2009. Catholic and public schools now have similar resource levels. However, public schools remain massively underfunded for the challenges they face while Independent and Catholic schools are overfunded. The favourable funding for private schools is a key factor behind the enrolment shift to these schools.

Ben Carroll Mispresents the Gonski Report on Capital Funding

Trevor Cobbold / April 5, 2026 / Funding

Ben Carroll, Deputy Premier of Victoria and Education Minister, argues that government capital funding on public schools should be included in the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) because this was recommended by the Gonski Report in 2011. He claimed on the ABC 7.30 Report on 1 April that the Gonski Report recommended that capital expenditure on schools be included in the SRS. We Fact Check the claim and find it is incorrect. The Gonski Report recommended that capital expenditure be excluded from the SRS.

Underfunded public schools, overfunded private ones – the gap grows

Trevor Cobbold / April 1, 2026 / Funding

New school income data show that Catholic and Independent schools have increased their resource advantage over public schools in Australia. This trend has been driven by sustained increases in government funding combined with growth in fees in private schools. Decades of favourable funding for private schools is a key factor behind the enrolment shift to these schools. Public schools are massively underfunded while private schools are overfunded.

Over-Generous Government Funding Gifts Resource Advantage to Private Schools

Trevor Cobbold / March 18, 2026April 9, 2026 / Funding

New figures show that Catholic and Independent schools have increased their resource advantage over public schools. This advantage is the result of generous Commonwealth government funding increases supplemented by fee increases higher than the rate of inflation. Public schools remain massively underfunded in each state except the ACT while private schools are overfunded in each state except the Northern Territory. The favourable funding for private schools is a key factor behind the enrolment shift to these schools.

SA Greens Support Full Funding of Public Schools

sosaustralia / March 14, 2026 / Equity in education, Funding, Public education

There is vast inequity between rich and poor in school outcomes in South Australia. A high proportion of socio-economically disadvantaged students in South Australia do not achieve national literacy and numeracy standards. There is a huge gap in school outcomes between advantaged and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

School funding in South Australia remains heavily biased against public schools. Government funding increase have favoured Catholic and Independent schools over public schools. Public schools have fewer resources than private schools and are significantly underfunded while Catholic and Independent schools are overfunded.

The new funding agreement between the Commonwealth and South Australian governments will provide a significant boost in funding for public schools by 2034. However, public schools will continue to be underfnded until 2034 and beyond.

The South Australian Greens support fully funding public schools by 2029. Here is the response by Robert Simms, Member of the Legislative Council of South Australia, to quesiotns put to election candidates by Save Our Schools.

SA Greens Candidate Response to SOS Election Questions

sosaustralia / February 27, 2026 / Equity in education, Funding, Public education

The Greens candidate for Unley in the South Australian election, Dylan Kiernan, has provided the following response to the SOS Election Brief on education outcomes and funding in Sourth Australia.

School Outcomes and Funding in South Australia – An Election Brief

Trevor Cobbold / February 15, 2026February 16, 2026 / Equity in education, Funding, Public education, School closures

The following are key points of a brief on the South Australian election campaign by Save Our Schools. The full brief can be ddowloaded below.

South Australian public schools face deep inequity and chronic underfunding, especially for socio-economically disadvantaged students. Candidates in the South Australian election must stand up for public schools.

Not the Education State: Victorian Public Schools Remain Massively Underfunded by New Schools Agreement

Trevor Cobbold / February 2, 2026February 2, 2026 / Funding

The Victorian Labor Government likes to label Victoria as “the education state”. This is a joke as far as public schools are concerned. A new schools agreement with the Commonwealth Government continues the longstanding massive underfunding of Victorian public schools by billions while Catholic and Independent schools continue to be overfunded. The continued underfunding of public schools is a barrier to reducing the vast inequity in school outcomes between rich and poor students.