Media releases – SOS Australia

Media Release: A Public Education Agenda for the New Education Minister

Trevor Cobbold / June 1, 2022 / Media releases, National issues, Public education

Save Our Schools (SOS) today presented a public education agenda for the new Minister for Education, Jason Clare. SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that Labor’s silence on crucial issues in public education must end: “The new Minister must step up for public schools”.

“Labor went to the election without an agenda for public education. It cannot be a do nothing government on public education. There are major issues and challenges facing public education that the new Minister must take action on.

Govt Funding Increases are Grossly Unfair – They Favour the Most Advantaged Over the Most Disadvantaged

Trevor Cobbold / March 14, 2021 / Funding, Media releases

Government funding for private schools increased by six times that for public schools since 2009-10 according to new research by Save Our Schools. SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said the heavy bias against public schools is grossly unfair.

Private Schools Over-Funded by $6 Billion: Public Schools Under-Funded by $60 Billion

Trevor Cobbold / February 14, 2021 / Funding, Media releases

New research by Save Our Schools shows that private schools will be over-funded by $6 billion from 2021 to 2029 under current funding arrangements while public schools will be under-funded by nearly $60 billion. SOS national Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that the new figures show that school funding in Australia is heavily biased against public schools.

“The Morrison Government has abandoned all pretence at funding private schools according to need and it has washed its hands of ensuring that public schools are fully funded. Private schools are lavishly funded while public schools are starved of funds needed to make a difference for the vast majority of disadvantaged students.

“The blatant favouring of privilege over disadvantage is unconscionable. Australia has one of the most inequitable education systems in the OECD. Achievement gaps between rich and poor are huge because preferential funding of private schools gives them a massive human and material resource advantage.”

Media Release: Private School Funding Model is Inherently Flawed

Trevor Cobbold / September 28, 2020 / Funding, Media releases

An Education Policy Brief published by Save Our Schools shows that the new funding method for private schools introduced this year by the Morrison Government is inherently flawed and will result in massive over-funding of schools. National Convenor of Save Our Schools, Trevor Cobbold, said the model is littered with flaws and should be replaced by a new approach.

Media Release: Advantaged Schools Get First Call on the Best Teachers

sosaustralia / October 23, 2018December 9, 2018 / Media releases

A research paper published today by Save Our Schools shows that Australia allocates more and better teacher resources to socio-economically advantaged schools than to disadvantaged schools. SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said there is a shocking mis-allocation of teaching resources between disadvantaged and advantaged schools in Australia that ranks alongside the worst in the OECD.

End the Corruption of Private School Funding

sosaustralia / November 20, 2016July 17, 2019 / Funding, Media releases

Governments should end special funding deals for private schools according to a submission to the national education minister’s council by Save Our Schools. SOS convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that special deals have corrupted private school funding and provide more than $3 billion a year in over-funding. Continue reading “End the Corruption of Private School Funding”

Media Release: Education Disadvantage is the Forgotten Issue in the ACT Election Campaign

sosaustralia / October 5, 2016April 28, 2019 / ACT issues, Media releases

The public education group, Save Our Schools, today called on all political parties to address education disadvantage in their education policies. Group convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that education disadvantage is the forgotten issue in the ACT election campaign despite its importance to the Territory’s social well-being and economic prosperity. Continue reading “Media Release: Education Disadvantage is the Forgotten Issue in the ACT Election Campaign”

Teachers and Principals Say School Autonomy Means Cutbacks

sosaustralia / August 16, 2016February 26, 2020 / Choice and competition, Media releases

The following is a media release from the ACT Branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) on the results of a survey of principals and teachers in the 23 schools participating in a pilot project on school autonomy. Continue reading “Teachers and Principals Say School Autonomy Means Cutbacks”

Media Release: New Figures Show that Government Funding Has Massively Favoured Private Schools

sosaustralia / February 15, 2016February 27, 2019 / Media releases

Updated school funding figures published today by Save Our Schools show that government funding per student in private schools has far outstripped that for public schools over the past 15 years. SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that increases in government funding for many elite private schools has far exceeded that for many disadvantaged public schools.

Continue reading “Media Release: New Figures Show that Government Funding Has Massively Favoured Private Schools”

Media Release: Govt. Could Easily Fund Gonski Plan

sosaustralia / January 14, 2016April 28, 2019 / Funding, Media releases

An analysis published today by Save Our Schools (SOS) shows that the Federal Government has a potential revenue pool of at least $34 billion a year to finance the $7 billion needed to fund the last two years of the Gonski plan.

SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that the Government could easily fund Gonski by reducing several tax concessions to high income earners and by clamping down on rampant tax evasion by high income earners and large Australian and multinational corporations.