Greens propose back to school payment, abolition of public school fees

Parents struggling with exploding out-of-pocket school costs such as fees, uniforms and technologies would receive a helping hand under a bold new proposal.

Families would receive an $800 back-to-school payment for students at public primary and high schools under a Greens plan to alleviate hip-pocket pressures.

The minor party is also pledging to abolish public school fees and charges under an additional $2.4bn investment over the next four years.

It comes as pawn shops prey on vulnerable parents, offering personal loans of $5000 for school costs such as laptops and supplies.

Federal Greens leader Adam Bandt said a family with two kids in a public school would be almost $2500 better off every year under their election plan.

A pawnshop advertises personal loans for back to school expenses. Picture: Supplied

“In the last shared power parliament, the Greens saved families thousands by getting dental into Medicare for kids, and now we want more relief for people doing it tough,” Mr Bandt said.

“Parents are forking out thousands on ‘voluntary’ fees, uniforms and out of pocket costs, but meanwhile one in three big corporations pays no tax.”

The ambitious package would see an annual payment of $800 made to families at the start of the school year for each child attending a public school.

The cash, which would be provided via Services Australia, aims to address ballooning costs for essential items such as uniforms and technology.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The first payment of $400 would come in July this year if Labor is forced to adopt the demand, in exchange for the Greens’ support, in a hung parliament.

But it comes at a $7.7bn cost to the budget over the next four years, which the Greens say will be covered by making big corporations pay their “fair share”.

Mr Bandt also took aim at the government for underfunding public schools, accusing it of shifting the burden onto parents already struggling with the soaring living costs via voluntary fees.

Parliamentary Budget Office figures show average out-of-pocket charges for each public school student is expected to be $441 each next year, excluding extra-curricular ­activities.

Primary school student learning at home. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

Greens education spokeswoman Penny Allman-Payne said the situation was “so bad” that teachers were increasingly having to dip into their own pockets to pay for classroom basics that many families simply couldn’t afford.

“When I was a teacher I regularly spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of my own salary to give my students the resources they needed, and I know parents do the same,” Senator Allman-Payne said.

“Every child deserves a free, world-class public education, and that’s what the Greens are committed to delivering.”

Parents are expected to fork out an average of $694 on school supplies for primary students, and a massive $1149 for secondary school students, according to Finder.