Greens pledge extra $20.5bn for public schools

In a move that risks reigniting the funding wars, Mehreen Faruqi will unveil a plan to boost public school spending by 25 per cent.

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi will unveil the education package. Picture: AAP

The Australian Greens are promising public schools an extra $20.5 billion over next decade and will reallocate capital works grants from the non-government to the government sector in a move that risks reigniting the school funding wars.

The Greens’ education package, due to be unveiled today by education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi, aims to lift the Commonwealth’s contribution to public school funding to 25 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) — the base cost of educating a child — by 2023, ensuring schools are fully funded.

To be funded by a reversal of Coalition tax cuts, the promised funding exceeds the Morisson government’s current arrangements as well as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s pledge to boost funding by $14 billion over 10 years.

Neither the Coalition not Labor’s commitment will result in the government sector, which receives the bulk of their funding from the states and territories, being fully funded.

While the Australian Education Union welcomed the Greens’ pledge, the Catholic sector hit out at plans to alter the purpose of the Capital Grants Program, which currently provides funding to non-government primary and secondary school communities to improve infrastructure.

Currently governments schools have their capital needs met by their respective jurisdiction.

NSW, for example, is spending $6bn over four years on public schools capital works, while providing the state’s 951 non-government schools $165 million over the same period.

Under the Greens policy, the fund will be increased to $400m a year (up from $150m that has been allocated in 2018) and made accessible to all schools, with at least 80 per cent to public schools.

Catholic Education Melbourne executive director Stephen Elder, who spearheaded the sector’s ferocious campaign that led to the federal government’s decision to boost non-government school funding by $4.6bn, said “motherhood statements” on education were “no guarantee of a quality, equitable education system”.

“The Greens need to take off their ideological blinkers and acknowledge the importance of maintaining low-fee, non-government schools — Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or whatever faith or grouping — to give parents the right to chose the education that best needs their children’s needs and remove demand and, therefore, cost burdens on state systems and state treasuries,” he said.

“I trust the Greens will recognise this vital fact in policy announcements yet to come.”

Senator Faruqi said that Greens proudly supported public education, which educated 2.5 million Australian students and were “unapologetic in our advocacy” for a well-resourced public education system.

“For too long public schools have had to wait at the back of the queue while governments pander to already overfunded private schools,” she said.

“The Greens will ensure that, for the first time, every public school is fully funded.”

Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe said teachers would welcome the Green’s commitment to ensure schools were full funded by ensuring the Commonwealth increased its contribution to the SRS to 25 per cent. The government currently funds 20 per cent, while Labor has committed 22.2 per cent.

“We’ve been asking that all political parties commit to ensuring schools receive 100 per cent of their SRS by 2023,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“So this news is absolutely welcome.”

The Greens plan to fund their education package by reversing the Coalition’s income tax cuts, raising $13.4bn over the next four years.