Elite schools reaped $135m in Jobkeeper

Victoria’s most prestigious private schools have shared in an “obscene” $135m in JobKeeper funds, despite posting healthy profits.

Penleigh and Essendon Grammar received $9m in JobKeeper payments. Picture: Mark Stewart

More than 40 Victorian private schools have shared in more than $135m in generous taxpayer JobKeeper funds, the Herald Sun can reveal for the first time.

Most posted healthy surpluses and had millions in assets, promoting calls for the funds to be paid back.

A comprehensive list of Victorian recipients shows 43 independent schools received an average of $3.4m each.

Many schools who refused repeated calls for the funding to be divulged can now be named.

The payment, which was meant to provide a cash boost to ailing businesses during covid, was paid to some of the state’s most exclusive schools including Wesley College ($18m), Geelong Grammar ($10m) and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar ($9m).

Together the three schools have more than half a billion in net assets and are highly profitable.

More than 20 new recipients not yet published include Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Schools ($5m), St Paul’s Anglican Grammar ($4.4m), Luther College ($3.6m), Ivanhoe Girls’ School ($2.9m), Eltham College ($3.2m) and De La Salle College ($1.5m).

Other major recipients include Christian College Geelong, which received $6.7m, posted a $3m profit and has total assets of more than $90m.

Some schools, including Strathcona and Mentone Girls’ Grammar, noted in their financial reports that they had received JobKeeper but would not provide the dollar figures to the Herald Sun.

Mount Scopus Memorial College Jewish Day School received $1.1m in JobKeeper but its other 2020 financials are not publicly available.

Many of the state’s leading schools, including Scotch College and Methodist Ladies’ College are yet to post their 2020 financial results.

Trevor Cobbold from the Save our Schools lobby group said the “greed of these schools is obscene”.

“These schools pride themselves on their moral and religious values. If they had any conscience or common decency, they would give the money back as some firms have done,” he said.

South Australian Senator Rex Patrick said private schools “that had an increase in turnover over the relevant previous periods should pay back the JobKeeper they received”.

“To take the money without being affected is to abuse the goodwill of the taxpayer and to deny taxpayers other much needed services in areas such as healthcare, aged care and, indeed, education,” he said.

The Australian Taxation Office refused to provide details of any investigations of schools on privacy grounds, but it is understood compliance probes have uncovered overpayments.

Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge defended the scheme, calling it a “highly successful program”.