The year 2019 is vital for the Australian Federal Government with the election occurring around May. When considering Education, many parents across Australia turn to political parties for their insight. In 2014 there were 9,389 schools in Australia, including primary, secondary, combined and special schools. 71% of these were government schools (6,651), 18% were Catholic schools (1,722) and 11% were Independent schools (1,016) (McKenzie, (2015). The government currently provides different funding for the different schooling systems, which is issued based on need. It is irrefutable that this should change, and the funding given to all schools should be equal. It is currently predicted that by 2029 the funding given to government schools will grow from $6.8 billion in 2017 to over $13 billion in 2029. However, the total Catholic School funding is projected to grow from $6.3 billion in 2017 to over $10 billion in 2029. This shows a gap in funding within the different school systems. It is well known that within private and catholic schools, the parents must pay school fees. These fees provide the school with the money to stay afloat. This money provides the schools with the opportunity to provide the students with the best possible facilities across the school and the best possible chance of succeeding in their studies. It also allows schools to provide their students with transport to and from sporting games, enables the school to host event such as awards nights and allows the school to improve the facilities, where needed.
A question that is frequently asked, is how the education in the varying types of schools are different, as this could be crucial for some parents when considering where to send their child. Matthew Langmack, Head of Sports at Brisbane State High, provided his insight on the levels of education in both school systems through saying, “The type of school has no impact on the level of education. A greater impact is where the school is located relative to the socio-economic status of its community.” Although the levels of education can be seen to be the same, it is commonly known that throughout public schools, religious education is not offered as a subject, and for most catholic schools, religious education as a subject is compulsory for students. The teaching of religious education is governed by the School Education Act 1999 (The Act), sections 66-71, which states that the curriculum and teaching in Western Australian public schools is not to promote any particular religious practice, denomination or sect (department of education, 2017). For some parents, the teaching of religious education could be a vital part in choosing where their children attend, as they may believe that sending their child to a religious school is important.
In the past, Catholic schools have not been funded and supported themselves through school fees. However, Catholic Schools now gain more government funding than other private schools. (ABC news, 2016). The relationship that the church has with the state is very important. This is crucial as it can have massive benefits. These benefits can be seen as $31.4 billion by 2029 will be given, which will help provide a ‘quality school’ package for Catholic, Independent and Government schools. If the relationship between both groups is broken, then catholic school schools would automatically rely more help from the school fees received from the families within the schools. Under constitutional arrangements, state and territory governments are responsible for ensuring the delivery and regulation of schooling to all children of school age in their jurisdictions. The Commonwealth continues to grow its investment in Australian Schools. In 2013, we invested nearly $13 billion in government and non-government schools. This funding means schools can continue to deliver and expand their programs that are helping them support the children in their school who need it most. The Australian Government will continue to work with states and territories on national reforms that improve the quality of schools.
“From 2018, the Australian Government is providing school funding that is based on the need of students and schools, so that funding goes to where it is needed the most. The Government has announced its intention that by 2029, all schools will attract consistent shares of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) from the Commonwealth (The department of education, 2019).
Reports show that Catholic schools have not been happy since the Gonski 2.0 reforms were delivered under Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership, which saw a small number of overfunded schools lose money and changed the way government funding was calculated (Charis Chang, 2018). Gonski 2.0 is reference to the previous work of Mr David Gonski AC as the author of the Review of Funding for Schooling – Final Report Dec 2011, commissioned by the Federal Minister for Education in 2010. Commonly referred to as the Gonski Review, the review examined the school funding system in Australia and made a set of recommendations to the federal, state and territory governments (Independent Schools Council of Australia, 2016). On average, students who attend catholic schools currently receive 17% less government funding than if they were to attend a government school, making it necessary for Catholic schools to operate more efficiently than government schools and charge fees to maintain the high quality of education that Catholic Education is known for and our families rightly expect (Catholic Education, Diocese of Cairns, 2019)
As a current St Edmunds student, I have firsthand experience in the dilemma of the varying funding levels within my schooling career, and because of this I call out the Morrison government and the Shorten government and demand that they answer for this. This inadequate government has provided schools in public school system with a greater amount of funding, which is only due to rise in the coming years. As a future Australian voter, I am absolutely certain that I, along with many other upcoming voters, I will not be supporting a bias government.
Equal Funding For Education 