Public schools across Australia will remain underfunded in 2024 despite being in an “urgent and critical” position, the Australian Education Union (AEU) says.
The news follows the November 2023 release of the AEU’s report on School Resource Standard (SRS) funding in the nation’s public schools – research that revealed that the resource gaps between independent schools and public schools were widening.
Explaining the SRS
All Australian schools receive government funding, which includes a combination of Federal, state and territory support. Private schools receive additional income through student tuition fees.
The financial contributions made by governments are set out in the National School Reform Agreement – a joint agreement between federal, state and territory governments designed “to lift student outcomes across Australian schools”.
The SRS measures the minimum funding a school requires to operate and is calculated based on factors that include the number of students in a school, disabilities, the level of education (primary or secondary), the unique needs of First Nations students, as well as each student’s socioeconomic background.
The AEU’s research showed that, in each Australian state, 99 per cent of public school funding is below SRS, while 98 per cent of private school funding is above it.
New school year prompts calls for improved public school funding
As the new 2024 school year commences, Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe says it is unacceptable that only 1.3 per cent of public schools across the country are funded to the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).
In 2024, the Commonwealth will fund at least 20 per cent of each government school’s SRS, as well as 80 per cent of each non-government school’s SRS, according to the federal education department website.
“At the end of October, all governments were told by the expert panel they established that fully funding public schools was urgent and a critical prerequisite for improving student learning and well-being,” Ms Haythorpe said on Tuesday,
“Yet only weeks later, education ministers signed agreements for 2024 that deliver no increase in the Commonwealth share of the SRS and either no increase in the state and territory shares or very small increases.”
Ms Haythorpe says that only ACT schools in the ACT are fully funded – and that NSW is the only state with a commitment to secure 100 Per cent SRS funding for the state’s public schools by 2029.
“We don’t have a level playing field in education that ensures every child gets every opportunity to succeed. Fixing that starts with funding,” she said.
What nationwide SRS funding will deliver to Australian public schools:
NSW commitment is 75 per cent by 2025 and 100 per cent by 2029 but their share only increases slightly in 2024
NT’s share is not changing in 2024 and currently has no commitment to reach 75 per cent
QLD commitment remains 75 per cent by 2032
TAS commitment remains 75 per cent by 2027
Victoria’s funding share will not increase in 2024 but maintains a commitment to fund 75 per cent by 2028
