Calls for proper state govt education funding

A new report has highlighted education underfunding by almost every state and territory government in Australia.

The McKell Institute Report, Setting the Standard: Improving Educational Outcomes in Australia, suggests that gaps in funding will range from 0 to 21 percentage points in 2023, based on their calculations.

Christian schools have joined the call for governments to properly fund state school systems.

“Political buck passing, ideologically driven advocacy and media reporting focusing on only one part of school funding arrangements have let state and territory governments off the hook for too long,” said Mark Spencer, Director of Public Policy for Christian Schools Australia.

“The McKell Institute Report is the latest evidence of the lack of commitment to properly supporting their own school systems, the schools they own and run, by state and territory governments.”

“Media reporting has often allowed states and territories to get away with underfunding their schools by myopically focusing solely on Commonwealth funding to non-government schools — avoiding scrutiny being placed on the whole funding picture.

“Some public school advocates have also sought to deny fair funding to non-government schools rather than addressing the chronic underinvestment by these governments.

“The Gonski funding reforms were revolutionary, creating the basis for a student-focused, sector-blind, needs-based funding model.

“Christian schools are being funded based on the needs of their student communities, discounted by a ‘capacity to contribute’, determined by the income of their families.

“All students across the nation deserve fair funding — it is well overdue for state and territory governments to lift their investment in education and ensure that this is the case,” Spencer said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Sezeryadigar