Coalition promises ‘dollar for dollar’ funding match on schools

School funding deals have won bipartisan backing but the details remain secret.

Senator Sarah Henderson, the opposition’s spokeswoman on education, has pledged to match Labor spending deals with states and territories for schools funding. Picture: The Australian/Luis Enrique Ascui

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The Coalition has pledged to match Labor’s schools spending “dollar for dollar’’, but caned the Albanese government for “failing the grade’’ on secrecy.

Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said the government had made a “complete shambles’’ of negotiating 10-year funding deals with the states and territories.

“What we do know is that of the additional $16.5bn promised, only a mere $407.5m will be delivered in the next four years,’’ Senator Henderson said.

“That means a year 7 student today will see no meaningful benefit before they finish school.

“It is also clear Prime Minister (Anthony) Albanese misled Australians when he announced his government had finalised all school funding deals.’’

She said a Coalition government would match Labor’s funding agreements “dollar for dollar’’.

“We are concerned they contain little in the way of specific reforms which are crucial to raising academic standards,’’ she said.

Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy says the federal budget fails to provide enough funding for teaching and research. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Senator Henderson called on the government to publish the bilateral agreements it had signed with NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare is keeping the details secret and has refused a Senate order to produce them.

He has stated that in return for $16.5bn in extra commonwealth funding for public schools, the states must introduce phonics and numeracy checks in year 1, provide catch-up tutoring for struggling students, improve literacy and numeracy outcomes and increase school attendance and year 12 graduation rates.

The government has yet to sign bilateral agreements with other states, despite claiming it had reached deals with all of them to increase the commonwealth share of funding from 20 per cent to 25 per cent over a decade.

Senator Henderson said the election-eve budget failed to provide ongoing funding for preschools, despite the current agreement set to expire in nine months.

“This leaves a looming budget black hole worth around $1.6bn, jeopardising the early education of young Australians,’’ she said.

Greens schooling spokeswoman Penny Allman-Payne said the failure to include the $16.5bn of promised funding in this week’s budget meant schools would have to wait 25 years for the extra money recommended in David Gonski’s 2011 funding review.

“More money for public schools is good, but we’re not going to give Labor a gold star for keeping them underfunded for another decade,’’ she said.

“And while public schools are crying out for money for buildings and maintenance, there is not a cent in capital funding for them in Labor’s do-nothing budget.’’

Group of Eight CEO Vicki Thomson says Australia must invest more in research. Picture: Nikki Short

University leaders also criticised lacklustre funding in the federal budget, which increased funding for university research by only 10 per cent over four years – barely in line with inflation.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said the budget offers some welcome cost-of-living relief for students, through payments for on-the-job practicum training, and HECS debt reductions, but it “falls short when it comes to supporting the universities that deliver Australia’s higher education and research’’.

“There’s no new investment in core teaching and research, and while we welcome initiatives like new study hubs and support for Indigenous medical students, the bigger funding and policy challenges remain unaddressed,’’ he said. “Universities are where we train the next generation of doctors, nurses, teachers and engineers. “It’s where research breakthroughs happen, where Australia builds the skills and knowledge to stay competitive.

“Without proper investment and a long-term plan, the system can’t keep pace with growing demand or meet the nation’s future needs.”

Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson – representing the research-intensive universities – said the budget “kicks the can down the road … We still have no commitment from government to grow the research pie and adopt a target for national R & D investment. The budget does nothing to incentivise business investment in R & D, which is critical if we are to reach the optimal target of 3 per cent of GDP in the next decade.

“Government investment is basically static, pegged to inflation, so that leaves universities to do the heavy lifting.’’

Ms Thomson said Australia needed to increase its spending on research and development – through the corporate sector as well as at universities – by $3.6bn a year over the next decade.

“There’s a limit to how much our universities can contribute to R & D, given our reliance on international student fee revenue to fund research and now we are dealing with more uncertainty as a result of the US administration’s research funding freeze,’’ she said.

“Australian business needs the right policy mix and the right incentives if we are to have any chance of reaching this target, and this budget does not deliver that.’’