Qld state school funding: Major report finds public sector underfunded by $6.6bn over decade

A major report has revealed the average annual capital investment per Queensland private school student over a 10-year period was more than double the amount state school students received.

Queensland has the second highest average capital expenditure per private school student, but only the fourth highest per state school student. Picture: File

Queensland has the second highest average capital expenditure per private school student, but only the fourth highest average spend per state school student, a new report shows.

The Australian Education Union report found the state’s average annual capital investment from 2012-2021 was $1189 per public school student, and $2429 per private school student.

The report estimates that the Queensland government needed to spend $6.6 billion more on the public school sector during these 10 years to balance its private school investment.

The report feeds into ongoing negotiations between Federal Education Minister Jason Clare and state counterparts, including Queensland’s new Education Minister Di Farmer, regarding the renewal of the bilateral school funding agreement, which expires at the end of the year.

While the AEU report data only extends to 2021, it is not unusual for national school financial data reporting to be a year or so behind.

Queensland education capital expenditure over 10 years. Photo: Supplied.

The report shows the gap between Queensland’s capital expenditure per student in the private and public sector has actually improved over time.

In 2009, the average spend per private school student was $2880, while the public average was $767 – this was the greatest difference recorded in the 10-year period measured.

By 2021, this gap narrowed to $2472 per private student, and $1920 per public student.

Nationally, based on the state-by-state average from 2012-2021, only Victoria ($2631) burned more capital expenditure per private school student than Queensland ($2429).

In the same period, Queensland gave more funding per public school student ($1189) than New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria. The Sunshine State also came out above the nation average ($1110).

In the public sector, Queensland was bettered by the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, and Western Australia.

State-by-state comparison from the Australian Education Union's report 'Ending the Capital Funding Divide in Australia's Schools'. Photo: Supplied.

AEU president Correna Haythorpe said the funding divide must be addressed by the federal and state governments in the bilateral school funding agreement negotiations this year.

“Making our education system fairer starts with fairer funding,” she said.

“Only 1.3 per cent of public schools are fully funded compared to 98 per cent of private schools, and that inequity in recurrent funding is contributing to an unacceptable (national) $30 billion divide in spending on new and upgraded schools.

“The Prime Minister must deliver on his promise to fully fund public schools. We also strongly support the call from state and territory governments for new bilateral agreements to include both capital and recurrent funding.

“Our report is calling for a $1.25bn injection into public schools.

“There is a huge unmet need for new and upgraded public schools that can meet the increasingly diverse needs of students and equip each of them with the knowledge, skills and capabilities required to be successful in the modern world.”

Federal President of the Australian Education Union, Correna Haythorpe. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman.

The bilateral school funding agreement which expires at the end of this year and has been the subject of lengthy negotiations is the National School Reform Agreement.

Central to the discussions are demands from education bodies for the governments to improve the level of taxpayer funding allocated to state schools across the country, with multiple reports finding private schools are overfunded and public schools underfunded.

The aim of the new agreement is to raise public school funding to meet the Schooling Resource Standard, which is the minimum level governments agreed more than a decade ago was required to meet the basic learning needs of all Australian school students.

The Schooling Resource Standard was recommended by the Gonski Review in 2012.

The Queensland government and Federal Education Minister Jason Clare have committed to closing the education gap and ensuring every school gets all its fair funding level.