Families face $1300-a-year for ‘free’ public schooling | Samantha Maiden

Free schooling no longer exists in this country, but apparently that’s news to Australia’s political leaders, writes Samantha Maiden.

The hidden cost of sending your child to a public school was perhaps happily absorbed by some parents in recent years.

But many families no longer have that luxury. The rising cost of rent, mortgages and groceries is testing many parents to the limit.

So much so, that the cost of up to $1300 or more to send your child to a “free” public school can come as a shock.

Even the most modest of estimates suggest parents are paying over $1000 a year in many parts of Australia and much more in others.

And that’s before you pay for the ‘bring your own device’ computer policy, the school formal, the electives fees, the list goes on.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch - and it seems there’s no such thing as a free education either. Picture: iStock.

In theory, sending your kids to the local public school is “free”. But parents know better, particularly if your kids are in high school.

This might suit some wealthy families who choose to send their kids to the local public school, particularly in affluent areas. But not all families are so lucky.

What is clear from talking to parents and politicians is that the cost of a “free” education is rising.

At the same time, an exodus of parents to private schools means that commonwealth funding is falling, adding to the pressures.

Worryingly, all of the above rarely seems to be an issue for our elected leaders who sometimes seem surprised and shocked when you point out the costs.

It’s surprising that the issue has not received more attention from political leaders, who may be too overpaid or sending their kids to private schools to notice.

Recently, a Facebook post from a mum in Melbourne suggested that the cost of a “free” education next year at an inner-city high school was $1500 a year.

Shocked, I did my own investigations. Would it surprise you to learn that parents are paying an estimated $889 million in fees and charges at public schools?

A show of hands of those surprised to learn parents are paying an estimated $889 million in fees and charges at public schools. Picture: iStock

That’s nearly $1 billion a year. According to The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, parents paid $889,036,000 in fees, charges and parent contributions in 2021.

Income from other private sources is over $500 million. So that’s around $1.4 billion in funding for public schools being gouged from parents and other private donors.

In South Australia, parents are being hit with $100 million in fees and charges. In Victoria, parents are paying $294 million a year.

That’s far more than what parents are paying in NSW, where they are being stung an estimated $179 million.

In some cases the states offer some relief. In South Australia, parents can now access a $100 discount off their school’s Materials and Services Charge.

But it still doesn’t cover the $253 materials cost charge for primary schools and $334 for secondary school students in 2022.

If you log onto the MySchool website you can find data on how much your public school charges parents on average.

Just last year, it was confirmed that some Australian government high schools are charging almost 14 times more than others.

Recently, I received a rather eye-watering bill for my son’s Year 10 formal – $190 – when nobody there can legally drink.

According to recent data, Brighton Secondary School in SA had the highest fee for Year 12 students, charging $1267, up from $1000 a few years earlier.

The big hike was put down to a change from the bring your own device policy for laptops to them being provided to the school.

Laptops are now indispensable pieces of school equipment. Picture: iStock

And that’s just another cost for parents when it seems rather obvious that a laptop – which can cost as little as $200 for a basic model – is an indispensable piece of educational equipment that should be provided by the school.

The Futurity Investment Group cost of education index has previously found the costs associated with a government education in Melbourne can reach $102,807, which is 17 per cent above the national average.

“School fees, outside tuition, school camps, transport, uniforms, electronic devices and sports equipment are demanding a far greater share of the family budget than in the past,” Kate Hill of Futurity Investment said.

“It can be a real struggle for some parents, already dealing with spiralling cost of living, hit with these costs all at the same time.”

When asked, many state education departments insist these costs are “voluntary” – but tell that to parents receiving the rather constant pitter patter of emails from the school.

They will also suggest you can plead for mercy and not pay – low income families can apply for subsidies under the School Card scheme in SA – a prospect many parents would feel uncomfortable about.

If political leaders wish to address the rising cost of living, conducting a proper audit of public school fees and considering changes to support families would be a good place to start.

Originally published as Families face $1300-a-year for ‘free’ public schooling | Samantha Maiden