Media statement from AEU President Correna Haythorpe.
Today I call on the Prime Minister to urgently resolve the public school underfunding debacle for all states and territories.
Minister Clare and Minister Palmer have today announced a special bilateral deal in Tasmania which delivers an additional 2.5% of Commonwealth funding for Tasmanian public schools by 2026.
We now have two fast tracked deals between the Commonwealth and the WA and Tasmanian Governments, which has shown the Albanese Government’s willingness to do special deals when it comes to federal funding.
These deals will see these two states receive 22.5% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) from the Albanese Government by 2026, while all other states are facing funding uncertainty which may extend across the next decade.
Of grave concern is the uncertainty facing New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT as to whether they will receive a single Commonwealth dollar from January 2025 if they do not bow to the federal government’s pressure and sign up to the government’s inadequate offer.
While additional fast-tracked funding is welcomed in WA and TAS, teachers on the ground know that this deal is not full funding as Minister Clare and Minister Palmer have claimed today.
Tasmanian public schools will not reach 100% of the SRS by January 2026 – instead they are on track to reach 96% of the SRS at most, with a sneaky clause that allows the state government to write off 4% of funding for other non-school based costs never intended to be included in the SRS.
There is one question that the New South Wales, Victorian, Queensland and South Australian governments will be asking today and that is “Why is the Albanese Government prepared to fast track their offer of 22.5% of the SRS to WA and Tasmanian students by 2026 when all other states are facing a funding cliff?”
There has never been a better time to fix the public school funding shortfall.
The Albanese Government and State and Territory Governments have all declared their commitments to public school funding. Now they need to back that with dollars on the ground, and deliver true full funding as promised so that every child can reach their full potential.
What is needed:
- A full commitment to a genuine 25% SRS share from the Commonwealth.
- A genuine 75% SRS share from states and territories including the removal of the 4% depreciation tax.
MEDIA CONTACT
Kylie Jensen, 0402 298 728
Meriel Killeen, 0466 393 485
Melissa van der Haak, 0484 674 958 (on-site)
30 October 2024