Funding – Page 3 – SOS Australia

Increasing Bureaucracy Swallows More of Public School Funding

Trevor Cobbold / December 3, 2025December 3, 2025 / Funding, Public education, Teachers

Increasing bureaucracy is a feature of public school systems in Australia. The growth in administrative staff in schools and in central departments has far outstripped the increase in teachers and students since 2015. The most dramatic staffing growth has occurred not in classrooms but in state education departments.

The growth in administrative staff reflects increasing reporting and compliance regulations required by governments in the face of the increasing complexity of student needs and expectations about service provision. It is absorbing an increasing proportion of expenditure on public schools. More funding is being diverted from core functions of teaching and supporting the learning and well-being of students to administrative and operational tasks. Moreover, there is widespread evidence that teachers are over-loaded with administrative tasks themselves. A key issue is to identify what is necessary and reasonable and what is unnecessary and wasteful of time and resources. Reviews of the workload on teachers in public schools in NSW and Victoria have revealed that teachers face much unnecessary administrative work.

The Case for Full-service School Models in Australia

sosaustralia / November 26, 2025 / Equity in education, Funding, Public education

In their new report, the Mitchell Institute calls for full-service school models as a purpose-built solution to Australia’s growing educational inequality.

Despite decades of reform and record investment, inequality in Australian schools persists and continues to grow. Students in high-needs communities can face multiple, compounding barriers to learning: poorer health, food insecurity, unstable housing and limited access to early and ongoing supports. This can contribute to rising absenteeism, disengagement and widening achievement gaps.

The Mitchell Institute’s new report Achieving Better and Fairer Schools: The case for full-service school models in Australia argues that traditional schools are not designed to respond to these complex needs.

A different approach is needed to address the growing inequities in student engagement, wellbeing and achievement. Our report calls for full-service school models as a purpose-built solution, designed to integrate education, health and social supports so that all children have the opportunity to thrive.

What fully funded public schools could do

sosaustralia / November 13, 2025 / Equity in education, Funding, Public education

The following is the abstract of a paper by Professor Pasi Sahlberg and Trevor Cobbold published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Australia’s most disadvantaged students are heavily concentrated in under-resourced public schools, worsening gaps in learning, wellbeing and life outcomes. Although governments have pledged to fully fund public schools through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement 2025–2034, most schools will still fall short of their Schooling Resource Standard due to delayed and diluted implementation. The article argues that new investment estimated more than $20 billion over the decade must be directed to schools with the greatest need. Evidence shows four effective priorities: full-service school models, stronger family engagement, healthy school meals, and eliminating compulsory fees. Equity requires not just funding, but targeted, sustained action.

It’s Official! Accounting Tricks Denied Public Schools Over $2 Billion in Funding in 2023

Trevor Cobbold / October 28, 2025October 29, 2025 / Funding

A new report by the National School Resourcing Board (NSRB) reveals that public schools lost over $2 billion in funding in 2023 because of accounting tricks used by state governments under the Commonwealth-State funding agreements operating at the time. The accounting tricks are continued under the new funding agreements signed this year. They mean that public schools will remain underfunded for the next ten years.

Schools Agreement Fails to Fully Fund Tasmanian Public Schools

Trevor Cobbold / October 12, 2025 / Funding

The claims by the Federal and Tasmanian education ministers that Tasmanian public schools will be fully funded by 2034 are a blatant lie. The new school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the Tasmanian Government will not set public schools are not on the path to full funding as government media releases say.

Despite a substantial and very welcome boost in funding, Tasmanian public schools will remain underfunded in 2034, 23 years after the Gonski Report recommended full funding. Public schools will remain massively underfunded in every year until 2034. It is a shameful neglect of the challenges facing public schools and the learning needs of disadvantaged students, the large majority of whom attend public schools.

South Australian Public Schools Get Funding Boost But Remain Underfunded

Trevor Cobbold / October 8, 2025 / Funding

The claims by the Prime Minister, the South Australian Premier and education ministers that South Australian public schools will be fully funded by 2034 are a blatant lie. The new school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the South Australian Government will not set public schools are not on the path to full funding as government media releases say.

Despite a substantial and very welcome boost in funding, South Australian public schools will remain underfunded in 2034, 23 years after the Gonski Report recommended full funding. Public schools will remain very underfunded each year until 2034. It is a shameful neglect of the challenges facing public schools and the learning needs of disadvantaged students, the large majority of whom attend public schools.

Western Australian Public Schools Denied Full Funding by Schools Agreement

Trevor Cobbold / October 8, 2025October 8, 2025 / Funding

The claims by the Federal Education Minister and the Western Australian Premier that WA public schools will be fully funded by 2034 are a blatant falsehood. The new school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the Western Australian Government will not set public schools are not on the path to full funding as government media releases say.

Despite a substantial and very welcome boost in funding, Western Australian public schools will remain underfunded in 2034, 23 years after the Gonski Report recommended full funding. Public schools will remain massively underfunded in every year until 2034. It is a shameful neglect of the challenges facing public schools and the learning needs of disadvantaged students, the large majority of whom attend public schools.

Queensland Public Schools to Remain Underfunded Despite Funding Boost

Trevor Cobbold / October 6, 2025October 8, 2025 / Funding

The claims by the Prime Minister, the Queensland Premier and their education ministers that Queensland public schools will be fully funded by 2034 are a blatant falsehood. The new school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the Queensland Government will not set public schools are not on the path to full funding as government media releases say.

Despite a substantial and very welcome boost in funding, Queensland public schools will remain underfunded in 2034, 23 years after the Gonski Report recommended full funding. Public schools will remain massively underfunded in every year until 2034. It is a shameful neglect of the challenges facing public schools and the learning needs of disadvantaged students, the large majority of whom attend public schools.

NSW School Funding Agreement Leaves Public Schools Underfunded

Trevor Cobbold / October 4, 2025 / Funding

The claims by the Prime Minister, the NSW Premier and their education ministers that NSW public schools will be fully funded by 2034 are a blatant falsehood. The new school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the NSW Government will not set public schools are not on the path to full funding as government media releases say.

Despite a substantial and very welcome boost in funding, NSW public schools will remain underfunded in 2034, 23 years after the Gonski Report recommended full funding. Public schools will remain massively underfunded in every year until 2034. It is a shameful neglect of the challenges facing public schools and the learning needs of disadvantaged students, the large majority of whom attend public schools.

New Schools Agreements Show Public Schools Will Remain Underfunded in 2034

Trevor Cobbold / October 1, 2025October 2, 2025 / Funding

The claim by the Prime Minister, Premiers and their education ministers that public schools will be fully funded by 2034 is a blatant lie. The new school funding agreements between the Commonwealth and the states have not set public schools are not on the path to full funding as government media releases say.

Despite a substantial and very welcome boost in funding, public schools will remain underfunded in 2034, 23 years after the Gonski Report recommended full funding. Public schools will remain massively underfunded in each year until 2034. It is a shameful neglect of the challenges facing public schools and the learning needs of disadvantaged students, the large majority of whom attend public schools.