Back in June, the Centre for Policy Development (CPD) produced a report entitled Uneven Playing Field: The State of Australia’s Schools, which projected that under current policy settings, mid-range private school students are on track to receive $1,000 more in taxpayer funding than average public school students by 2020:
The report called for a freeze on funding increases to non-government schools until a review of how the funding should be more fairly distributed is conducted.
A separate analysis conducted earlier this year also found that the average public funding of some of Victoria’s most elite private schools increased at eight times the rate of the neediest public schools.
Then The Age reported that Private schools are outspending Victorian public schools by four to one, splurging on frivolous things like rowing tanks, pilates studios and sky decks.
On last night’s Q&A Program, Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham flagged possible funding cuts to elite private schools. From The Australian:
“I want, within the money that’s available, within the money that Australia can afford, to get the fairest funding model we can have for Australian schools”…
“I have been crystal clear that I want to make sure the funding we have available to us is distributed fairly and according to need…
“Historically, what’s happened in Australia is that the states and territories have the primary Commonwealth responsibility or the primary responsibility under our constitution for funding education.
“Overwhelmingly, they pay the bills in government schools, and it is a historical quirk that the Commonwealth has funded more into the non-government sector.
“We are now funding at record levels into the government sector, and I’m proud of that fact. The share of funding that we meet for government schools is higher than it’s ever been before, that share will keep growing.”
Good to see. Giving substantial taxpayer funding to already well-resourced and affluent schools doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and seems highly inequitable.
