Australia’s toxic school funding wars are closer to peace after New South Wales became the latest state to sign a new 10-year agreement in exchange for $4.8 billion in new funding.
The Albanese government went to the last election with an aspiration for public schools to finally be funded to the minimum levels recommended by the Gonski review 13 years ago.
Private schools reached that funding level at least seven years ago and as many as 40 per cent are funded above those levels. Over that time, parents voted with their feet and left the public system in record numbers.
All states and territories except Queensland have now reached an agreement with the federal government to boost public school funding under what the government has dubbed the “Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA)”.
“This is absolutely massive. This is the biggest state in the country that’s now signed up to the national agreement to get all the public schools in NSW on a path to that full funding level that David Gonski talked about all those years ago,” federal Education Minister Jason Clare told ABC News.
“This is the biggest new investment in New South Wales public schools by an Australian government ever.”
Mr Clare said it would restore faith in public education systems which had been losing enrolments to better-resourced private schools.
“It will mean parents will feel like they’ve got real choice because this money is going to be invested in the sorts of things that parents want and that children deserve,” he said.
In particular, he said, the funding would mean that children who fell behind at primary school would get individualised support to help them catch up.
NSW public schools to receive $5b
Negotiations for the deal have been long and torturous, with the Commonwealth initially offering to increase its share of funding by 2.5 percentage points to 22.5 per cent of the total public school bill.
Despite an ultimatum for the states to take it or leave it, the government doubled its offer and will now pay 25 per cent of the total nationwide — a five percentage point increase in its share.
It is estimated New South Wales will receive an extra $4.8 billion over 10 years.
The New South Wales government had already pledged to increase its funding of public schools to 75 per cent of the minimum amount recommended by the Gonski Review, meaning the schools would become “fully funded”.
Mr Clare, who grew up in Western Sydney, said the changes would be life-changing for public school students.
“As a kid from Cabramatta, who went to public schools and who has kids now in public schools, or about to go to public schools, I know what this is going to do,” he said.
Until the latest deal, the Commonwealth had paid 20 per cent of school costs, with the states paying for the remaining 80 per cent.
“It takes time before you see the real impact of these reforms … but it’ll be worth it. A good education can change lives. A good education system can change countries,” Mr Clare said.
Opposition calls for more detail on funding deals
The federal opposition has pledged to match the government’s school funding commitments but has criticised the government for not releasing the full bilateral agreements with the states.
“As has been previously announced, a future Coalition government will honour all school funding agreements entered into with the states and territories,” Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson said.
“However, the Albanese Labor government’s refusal to come clean with the Australian people about the full details of these agreements is concerning.”
Senator Henderson said the government had cited public interest immunity to avoid a Senate request to produce the previously signed bilateral agreements with the states.
“Despite repeated calls for transparency, Labor continues to hide the terms of the school funding deals it has already struck with Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia,” Senator Henderson said.
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Mr Clare said the extra funding came with agreements from the states that they would improve the way money was spent by investing in evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring.
“This investment will mean that … children will get the sort of individualised support that they need at school for free,” Mr Clare said.
New South Wales Education Minister Prue Car told the ABC the extra funding would be accompanied by reform.
“Over the 10 years of this agreement, this money will be going to really important things like year one phonics, early years numeracy checks, really investing in evidence-based teaching, small-group tutoring, high-quality professional learning for teachers,” Ms Car said.
The new deal also removes an allowance from a previous deal signed between the states and the then-Morrison government.
It allowed for states to spend 4 per cent of their share of school funding on indirect costs such as capital depreciation but it was opposed by teachers’ unions, the Greens and public education advocates, who argued it short-changed public schools.
Some critics also argued there were not enough assurances that money would be spent on evidence-based initiatives.
Queensland is yet to sign on to the agreement but Mr Clare said that would not impact the deals struck with the other states.
“We’ve now got seven out of eight states and territories that have signed up to the agreement. We’re still working with Queensland on the agreement that we want to do with them,” Mr Clare said.
“They’re obviously really focused on the cyclone at the moment and that’s priority number one, as it should in Queensland right now.”
