Save Our Schools (SOS) today called on the Commonwealth and state governments to end their stand-off on school funding. National Convenor of SOS, Trevor Cobbold, said:
“This disgraceful squabbling over cost-shifting by governments threatens the future education and lives of millions of students. It puts at risk government goals of increasing Year 12 completion rates and participation in tertiary education.
“ It is now 12 years since the Gonski Report identified the need to boost funding for public schools and disadvantaged students to improve equity in school outcomes. The shameful failure of governments to fully fund public schools cannot continue any longer. Governments must embrace Gonski’s recommendation for co-operative federalism in school funding.”
“Public schools continue to be vastly under-funded while private schools are over-funded. In 2024, public schools are funded at only 87.6% of their Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) on average across Australia while private schools are funded at 104.9% of their SRS. The under-funding of public schools is estimated at about $6.8 billion per year.”
“Public schools are massively under-funded in every state except the ACT. Private schools are over-funded in every state except the Northern Territory.”
Mr. Cobbold called for governments to adopt the SOS 3-point plan:
- The Commonwealth Government increase its share of funding for public schools from 20% to 25% of their SRS.
- State governments renounce the accounting tricks in the current agreements and increase their share of funding public schools to 75% of their SRS.”
- The Commonwealth and state governments end their over-funding of private schools.
“The Commonwealth should play a greater role in increasing equity in school outcomes. This is a national goal for the national government.”
“Public schools will not be fully funded until the states renounce the accounting tricks that defraud public schools of about $2.4 billion alone. The accounting tricks allow the states to claim expenditures excluded from how the SRS is measured as part of their share of the SRS funding for public schools. These expenditures include capital depreciation, school transport and expenditure on regulatory authorities.”
“The Commonwealth and the states must also end their over-funding of private schools. It will contribute to fully funding public schools.”
Mr. Cobbold said that fully funding public schools is critical to improving school outcomes and reducing inequity as well as future economic prosperity.
“Overcoming the effects of educational disadvantage remains the fundamental challenge facing Australian governments. The Commonwealth and state governments must come to their senses and end the stand-off.”