Federal government to provide $655m to Queensland’s wealthiest private schools

Some of Queensland’s wealthiest private schools are set to receive more than $650m in federal government cash.

Some of the state’s wealthiest private schools including Cannon Hill Anglican College, Brisbane Grammar and St Margaret’s are set to receive more than $650m in “over funded” federal government cash over the next six years, new analysis has claimed.

Official figures presented to Senate Estimates in the federal budget were scrutinised in a new report which revealed a windfall of more than $665m would go to Queensland private schools from 2022-2029.

The education research report Save Our Schools claimed Queensland’s Catholic Education system was set to be over funded by $384m while a further $271m would go to Independent Schools Queensland system.

The Federal Department of Education argued the report was “misleading and selective” and that funding was allocated on a “needs” basis.

Save Our Schools national convener Trevor Cobbold said the over funded schools were made up by some of the most expensive and exclusive in the state.

They included Cannon Hill College, Brisbane Grammar, Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Rockhampton Grammar and St Margaret’s School.

Mr Cobbold said under the current funding arrangement, the Federal Government was providing “well above” the 80 per cent of school resource standards.

The analysis found the Cannon Hill College was the most over funded school in the state with more than $16.2m in federal funding set for the next six years.

Mr Cobbold said the over funding was due to end by 2029, however he said there was no guarantee it would occur.

He said several private school organisations were campaign against losing the over funding.

“Their greed is unrestrained,” Mr Cobbold said.

In contrast, Mr Cobbold said there was a chronic under funding for Queensland public schools that was set to continue for the rest of the decade.

“The Federal Government must play a greater role in addressing disadvantage in education,” Mr Cobbold said.

“A priority should be to increase the funding loadings for disadvantaged students.”

Independent Schools Queensland chief executive Chris Mountford said the report used “selective” data which made it “misleading and deliberately divisive”.

“Public schools are predominantly funded by the State Government and non-government schools are predominantly funded by the Australian Government, therefore both funding sources need to be considered together,” Mr Mountford said.

Mr Mountford said about 30 per cent of independent schools were set to lose funding over the next eight years which equalled to $375m less in funding between 2021 and 2029.

He pointed to a productive commission’s report on Australian and State Government funding to non-government schools which showed figures of $13,417 per student, compared to $19,932 per public school student.

“Families who choose to send their children to a Queensland independent school, instead of a fully-funded place at a state school, save taxpayers more than $1.2 billion each year,” Mr Mountford said.

A spokesman from the department of education said Federal Government funding was a needs-based model.

“The school resource standards is made up of a base amount for all primary and secondary students and up to six additional funding loadings for student priority cohorts and disadvantaged schools,” the spokesman said.

“Students with the same need within the same sector will attract the same support from the Australian Government, regardless of the state or territory they live in.

“Students with greater needs will attract higher levels of funding from the Australian Government.”

Queensland Catholic Education Commission executive director Dr Lee-Anne Perry said the state’s Catholic schools “are funded in line with the legislated funding arrangements”.