Be 'that' Prime Minister

04 December 2023

“I want every parent to be able to tell their child no matter where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during his election victory speech, highlighting two principles for his government: that no one would be left behind and no one would be held back.

Two principles that have not yet been realised for the 2.6 million students in Australia’s public schools who are still waiting for full funding of their schools.

As the National School Reform Agreement (NSRA) negotiations between the federal government and the states and territories begin, there is an urgency to ensuring that they deliver on the funding that is necessary to meet the principles set out by the PM. “There is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end the underfunding of public schools,” says AEU federal president Correna Haythorpe.

The NSRA negotiations are due to be completed in time for the 2025 school year and once agreed, will set the funding parameters for the foreseeable future.

“The level of funding that public schools receive directly affects the work that teachers do and the teaching and learning opportunities that can be provided for students,” she says.

“Full funding will give teachers, principals and education support personnel the tools and resources necessary to meet the diverse and complex needs of all students, regardless of their background and circumstances.”

Global comparisons

Australia’s inadequate investment in public schools is not only failing students, teachers and communities, it puts us way behind on the world stage.

An Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report shows that Australia significantly underperforms most OECD countries in public school investment, 28.6 per cent lower than the OECD average.

The report, released in September, also finds that Australian teachers’ workloads are much higher than average, class sizes are larger than average and salaries plateau much earlier than in most OECD countries. Australian teachers have the third highest average instruction times at more than 1000 hours annually, compared to an OECD average of 805 hours in primary schools and 916 hours in secondary schools.

The average experienced teacher salary in Australia, at only 1.3 times higher than the graduate teacher wage, is the sixth lowest in the OECD. In 12 countries including Israel, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Austria, it is more than 1.5 times the graduate teacher salary.

Private school funding is the only indicator in which Australia excels globally, with Australia outspending all countries except Türkiye and Colombia on government funding for private schools – twice as much as the OECD average.

Momentum for change

This disconnect in Australia’s education system is fuelling outrage in the community.

So far, more than 78,000 people and 45 community organisations have signed up as supporters of the AEU’s For Every Child campaign, which has taken its message on the road.

The campaign launched a national road trip on World Teachers' Day involving principals, teachers, parents and community members. Specially branded vehicles set out from Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart to travel through cities and remote and regional centres holding meetings and events along the way to gather more support.

The road trip ended at Parliament House in Canberra on 26 November with the delivery of tens of thousands of protest messages on postcards from around the country.

“The Albanese government must take the lead in the NSRA negotiations and make sure that all schools are fully funded,” says Haythorpe. “Our children and teachers are giving 100 per cent. We need the politicians to do the same.”

By Tracey Evans

This article was originally published in the Australian Educator, Summer 2023