$1.6bn spent on teaching and student wellbeing reforms for WA
Western Australia becomes the first state to sign up to the agreement, in which the Albanese government will permanently increase its share of public school funding.
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About $1.6bn will be spent on school counsellors, year 1 phonics checks and reducing teacher workloads in West Australian public schools, over five years, as it becomes the first state to sign up to an agreement with the Albanese government to fully fund its public schools.
The federal government will hand the WA government more than $785m from 2025 to 2029, matched by the WA government, becoming the second jurisdiction to increase funding for all schools to 100 per cent after the Northern Territory.
The agreement is tied to state-based reforms including year 1 phonics and early years numeracy checks to identify students who need additional help, small-group or catch-up tutoring for those who fall behind, and wellbeing support like counsellors, school psychologists and health nurses.
The state will also trial a “full-service school model” in at least four WA public schools from 2026, which includes community, health and social services.
In an attempt to improve professional support for classroom teachers, reforms include recruiting co-ordinators for students with the most complex needs, finding ways to reduce workloads, and making it easier for First Nations people, people with disability and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to transition to a teaching career.
WA will get to 100 per cent funding by 2026, with the commonwealth increasing its share from 20 per cent to 22.5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) base amount – the money required to educate an average student – by 2026, and the WA government increasing its share to at least 77.5 per cent of the SRS by the same year.
The Albanese government has given the states and territories a deadline to sign a 10-year Better and Fairer Schools Agreement attached to student learning and wellbeing reforms, or lose $16bn in bonus funding.
The agreement is also tied to a list of binding national targets for states and territories by 2030 that includes increasing the proportion of students with year 12 or equivalent certification by 7.5 percentage points, and a 10 per cent cut in the proportion of students failing minimum standards of reading, writing and mathematics in National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy tests within five years.
Another target includes increasing the proportion of students in the Strong and Exceeding proficiency levels in NAPLAN by 10 per cent.
Minister for Education Jason Clare said it was a “historic day for public education in Western Australia” and “shows what can be done when governments work together. It shows that we can fully fund public schools and invest in the reforms that will make a real difference to the students who really need it.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said the reforms would ensure “no student in a WA public school is left behind”. The deal abolishes legislation capping commonwealth contributions at 20 per cent of school running costs.
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