States ramp up pressure on Jason Clare on public school funding
Education ministers ramp up pressure on the Albanese government to fully fund public schools.
Education ministers are urging the Albanese government to increase federal public school funding by $6bn a year, warning that unless it bows to the states’ demands, there is “no hope” of delivering full funding.
Ahead of a meeting of education ministers this week, states are demanding Education Minister Jason Clare increase the federal government’s public school contribution to 25 per cent as set out by businessman David Gonski in a landmark review more than a decade ago.
Mr Clare has offered to lift the federal contribution from 20 per cent to 22.5 per cent at a cost of about $3bn a year under the biggest boost to education funding in more than a decade, with the money to be spent on reforms targeted at lifting academic standards.
But most state governments are demanding the federal government proposed funding increase, despite Mr Clare already inking deals with the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer said his state did not have the funds to contribute the 2.5 per cent, which is worth $190m a year, urging that an agreement must be reached by the end of the year or risk the plan being shelved if the Coalition wins the next federal election.
NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car said the “breadth and depth” of services the state was providing was growing exponentially, while its share of GST was axed in the latest carve-up.
The 2.5 per cent is worth about $400m a year in NSW.
Victorian Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll echoed calls for the federal government to renew its investment in school infrastructure and meet Gonski’s standard, by coughing up the extra 2.5 per cent, worth about $300m a year.
“We’re standing with our state and territory colleagues to call on the commonwealth to deliver the remaining 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard to government schools – to make sure every child has the opportunity to get the best education,” he said.
Queensland Education Minister Di Farmer said she was also resolute the federal government should contribute the extra 2.5 per cent.
“Queensland supports the decision of the commonwealth to boost funding to public schools in the NT,” she said.
“This decision demonstrates that the commonwealth can break the previous government’s cap of 20 per cent public school funding.”
Mr Clare said if the NT could chip in more money, then other states could too, and there was a lot at stake in the negotiations that must be completed by the end of the year.
Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson accused Mr Clare of creating a “mess”.
Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe said the bilateral agreements must be completed by the end of the year, calling on Anthony Albanese to “step up”. “We think it’s really critically important given we don’t want a child’s postcode essentially, to determine the funding that they get.”
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