Gonski money for schools goes missing in pre-election federal budget
Schools have missed out on extra ‘Gonski funding’ after the Labor failed to include promised new spending in the pre-election budget.
Schools have missed out on extra “Gonski funding’’ after the Albanese government failed to include promised new spending in the pre-election budget.
Anthony Albanese has pledged to spend an extra $16.5bn to increase the commonwealth share of public school funding from 20 per cent to 25 per cent within a decade, but the budget shows only $407.5m in additional “Gonski funding” over the next four years.
The budget papers state that another $7.2bn will be handed to schools in NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT between 2029-30 to 2035-36.
See more of The Australian’s federal budget coverage here.
These are the only states and territories to have signed binding bilateral agreements under the 10-year Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. This agreement is supposed to deliver all the needs-based funding recommended in a review by business leader David Gonski in 2011.
“Negotiations with jurisdictions … yet to sign the bilateral agreement are continuing, with funding being held in the contingency reserve pending finalis_ation of negotiations,’’ the budget papers state.
“The agreement sees the commonwealth increase its share of the Schooling Resource Standard (the amount of money deemed necessary to educate students) to 25 per cent by 2034, putting schools on a path to full and fair funding.’’
State and territory governments will no longer be able to siphon off 4 per cent of total schools funding to spend on school buses, curriculum development or capital depreciation.
“Instead, this funding will go to delivering reforms, including small group tutoring to help students who fall behind catch up, the introduction of year 1 phonics and early numeracy checks and more support to attract and retain teachers,’’ the budget papers state.
Federal funding to public schools will rise 19.5 per cent over the next four years to reach $14bn in 2028-29. Private schools, which get much of their revenue from fees charged to parents, will see federal funding rise 16.5 per cent over four years to reach $22.5bn.
The budget provides $1.5m to deliver MultiLit’s phonics-based reading programs in 42 remote and regional primary schools, with a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, until the end of next year.
The Clontarf Foundation, which supports the education of 12,500 First Nations boys and young men, will receive $33.6m next year.
The Smith Family educational charity will be given $1m for its Let’s Count program, to help parents and childcare workers get preschoolers ready for maths lessons at school.
Jewish and Muslim schools will share in $60m in funding over four years to “further enhance security’’ at schools, synagogues and Muslim “places of significance’’.
Funding has been cut by 4.9 per cent next financial year for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, which writes the national curriculum and administers National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy tests and reports.
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership has also had its funding cut by 9.3 per cent next financial year.
The budget papers reveal a failure to meet targets for school attendance and NAPLAN outcomes. Only 59.8 per cent of students showed up for at least 90 per cent of school days – meaning that four out of 10 students missed the equivalent of a month of school last year.
The budget papers say the rising number of students skipping school “is consistent with the long-term trend’’.
It also shows an increased proportion of year 3 students requiring remedial support to read – up from 9.1 per cent in 2023 to 11.3 per cent last year.
The federal government will cut funding for First Nations Languages in schools, which received $9.8m this financial year but will be given $2.1m in 2025-26 and nothing after that.
The budget allocates $28m over four years for helping children with autism in schools and childcare centres.
Nearly $60m will be given to states and territories to teach school students about sexual consent and respectful relationships.
The national teacher workforce action plan to combat teaching shortages will be stripped of $16m next financial year, with funding cut to $48m.
The government will spend $7m to expand science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives in schools.
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Unis lament research funding flatline
Research funding has flatlined for universities in real terms, with the Albanese government raising spending by just 10 per cent over the next four years.
The budget papers show research spending will rise from $2.28bn this financial year to $2.52bn in 2028-29 – roughly in line with the predicted rate of inflation.
The failure to boost spending will disappoint universities struggling financially from falling international student revenue, due to the bipartisan crackdown on temporary migration.
The flatlining research funding comes as the Trump administration cancels grants for Australian projects it deems woke or wasteful.
The Albanese government has boosted its core funding for university teaching, however, with a 25 per cent increase over the forward estimates.
Funding is on track to grow from $8bn this financial year to $10bn in 2028-29, although the program has been renamed.
Known for decades as the Commonwealth Grant Scheme, the program is now called the Core Commonwealth Funding for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
Support for international education has been slashed from $28.5m this financial year, to just $8.3m in 2028-29.
Funding has also been cut to universities watchdog the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.
Despite pressure to clamp down on systemic problems with university governance, student safety and wage theft, spending on TEQSA’s regulatory and quality assurance will be cut 10 per cent, from $26m this financial year to $23m in 2028-29.
The budget papers state that TEQSA “faces significant resource and capacity challenges, for which it is developing enterprise and workforce planning’’.
“Key trends such as changes in international student markets, rapid growth in transnational education delivery by Australian higher education providers, cybersecurity risks, foreign interference, and the imperative to maintain academic integrity pose risks to providers, students and the reputation of the sector,’’ the papers say.
“TEQSA has a strong presence in informing the sector about threats to academic integrity, including from artificial intelligence.’’
The budget provides $48.2m over four years to deliver 100 new medical places a year from 2026, increasing to 150 extra places from 2028, with a focus on primary care.
First Nations students who meet the academic entry requirements for medicine will have guaranteed access to demand-driven medical places from 2026.
The budget papers do not show explicit funding for the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission promised by federal Education Minister Jason Clare.
“The government has committed to establishing an ATEC as steward of the higher education sector,’’ the papers state.
“The ATEC will begin operating in an interim capacity from 1 July 2025, and permanently from 1 January 2026, subject to passage of legislation. Performance measures … will be developed for the 2026–27 PBS, once the ATEC has been permanently established.”
The Coalition has announced it will not support the establishment of ATEC as it would duplicate the work of the Education Department and TEQSA.
The number of university study hubs – which provide access to library and computing facilities away from main campuses – will be doubled in the regions and outer suburbs of major cities. Suburban study hubs will cost $39.7m over the next four years, while regional study hubs will cost $80m.
A new Indigenous Student Success Program will be established, costing of $358m over four years.
However, the existing Indigenous, regional and low SES attainment fund will have funding cut from $273m this financial year to $154m next financial year, before falling to $9m in 2026-27.
Spending on the Women in STEM scheme will be cut from $7m this year to $5.6m next financial year, with funding to run out after falling to $4.8m in 2026-27.
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