Media Releases
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2025
February
The release of the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services 2025 (ROGS) highlights the growing disparity in government funding between public and private schools.
The Australian Education Union has welcomed the passing of the Free TAFE Bill 2024, and now urges the Senate to pass the Bill promptly.
January
In a clear indication of a future Dutton Government’s plans to cut TAFE funding, the Federal Opposition has asked the South Australian Government if it would continue free TAFE if the Commonwealth reduced its funding.
Prime Minister Albanese has today delivered an historic commitment for full funding of Australia’s public schools.
The Australian Education Union has welcomed the Albanese Government’s permanent fee free TAFE legislation as a historic shift that benefits TAFE students, teachers, and the broader Australian economy.
2024
December
The Albanese Government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) is a missed opportunity to strengthen the economy by properly investing in public schools.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) has today welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that a re-elected Albanese Government would deliver three days of subsidised early education, describing it as a major step forward in ensuring all Australian children receive the best possible start in life.
The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) results have once again highlighted the growing inequalities within Australia’s education system, and the need for full funding of public schools.
In August this year, the 2024 NAPLAN results delivered a damning indictment on the failure of governments to fully fund public schools. Today’s release of these results on the MySchool website provides further evidence of the need for the full funding of public schools, with additional resourcing required to address educational inequality and disadvantage.
November
The AEU’s pre-election campaign was launched with a spectacular drone show above Sydney’s skyline, urging the Albanese Government to fully fund public schools, as promised. As Parliament ends for the year and the Federal Election looms, the AEU lit up the Sydney Harbour with a request direct to the Prime Minister to fully fund schools to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).
The AEU welcomes the Albanese Government’s announcement today to establish Fee-Free TAFE as an enduring feature of the national vocational education and training system, funding 100,000 Fee-Free TAFE places a year from 2027.
October
Today I call on the Prime Minister to urgently resolve the public school underfunding debacle for all states and territories.
This World Teachers’ Day, Friday October 25, teachers need more than thanks from politicians, they need fully funded public schools. Correna Haythorpe, AEU Federal President, said Australia’s public schools have been denied full funding for more than a decade and that has had a devastating impact on the teaching profession with escalating workloads and a chronic workforce shortage.
Today’s introduction of school funding legislation into Parliament shows that the Albanese Government does not understand the reality on the ground of their failed school funding negotiations and the impact that this is having on the wellbeing and morale of teachers and students in public schools.
The Australian Education Union has placed an immediate ban on the implementation of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.
New analysis from Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute, has highlighted the large economic, social, and fiscal benefits from funding public schools to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard.
September
The Australian Education Union welcomes the announcement of additional funding of $70.9 million for the recruitment of more teachers into schools. However, today’s announcement has continued the previous Coalition government’s preference for providing funds to Teach For Australia (TFA) to “fast track” people into the teaching profession.
Today’s announcement of a funding deal between the Albanese Government and the Tasmanian Government will lock in inequality for public schools, students and their families across the next decade. Tasmanian children will never have full funding under the new deal between Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The latest Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s ‘Education at a Glance’ report shows that Australia significantly underperforms against most OECD countries when it comes to investing in public schools.
Earlier this year, the Australian Education Union welcomed the announcements that the Commonwealth and state and territory governments would be making historic investments in TAFE under the National Skills agreement. The AEU also acknowledged the progress in national policy including the VET Workforce Blueprint and Fee-Free TAFE.
The extent of inequity in Australia’s school funding has been revealed in new research, showing that more than half of private schools in Australia now receive more combined Government funding (Commonwealth and State) per student than public schools of similar size, location and with similar student needs.
Contrary to claims by the Cook Government, the landmark bilateral agreement signed by the State and Commonwealth governments today will still leave public students in Western Australia underfunded.
August
A historic coalition of Education Ministers from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory has joined the Australian Education Union (AEU) Federal President, Correna Haythorpe, State Presidents, Public Education Association leaders, public school principals, teachers, parents and students, at Parliament House in Canberra to fight for full funding of public schools.
The 2024 NAPLAN results have delivered a damning indictment on the failure of governments to fully fund public schools and show, once again, the urgency of the Albanese Government delivering on their pre-election promise for public schools to be funded at 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard.
July
The Australian Education Union acknowledges the significant $768 million funding deal struck between the Albanese Government and the Northern Territory.