New report shows entrenched inequality in public school funding
6 February 2019
A report into the provision of childcare, education and training has painted a clear picture of the extent to which the Morrison government favours private schools over public schools when it comes to funding.
According to the Productivity Commission’s Report into Government Services (ROGS), growth in per-student government funding for private schools last year was ten times greater than that for public schools.
Report findings included:
- annual per student growth in funding private schools in 2016/17 was 3.7 per cent, compared with only 0.36 per cent for public schools
- private school funding per student has grown 2.7 times faster than public school funding per student in the last decade.
- government funding for public schools has grown by only 10.8% over the last ten years, whereas government funding for private schools has grown by 28.7%
ROGS shows the gap in funding growth between public and private schools is rapidly accelerating under the Morrison government. It demonstrates that the Morrison government’s 2017 school funding legislation entrenches inequality, preferences private schools over public schools and denies public schools the resources needed to provide a high quality education for their students.
This report provides the evidence that the Morrison government has clearly preferenced private schools, while public schools have been denied the funding needed and will not reach 100% of the Schooling Resource School under their plan.
It also makes a mockery of the Morrison government’s claims to observe equitable needs-based funding and sector blindness. The Morrison government must use the Federal Budget to restore the $14 billion it has stripped from public schools.
The Fair Funding Now! campaign will focus on the Morrison government’s inequality for public schools in the lead up to the next election.
