
A landmark 10-year funding deal for Australia’s 10,000 schools is within reach, as Victoria and South Australia join the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA). The Commonwealth will boost public school funding from 20% to 25%, with states committing to 75%. This historic move finally puts all public schools on track to achieve the full funding recommended by the 2012 Gonski review.
“Today is about a principle that has driven me my whole life. No-one held back, and no-one left behind,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the National Press Club on Friday. “That is, making sure that every child in government schools gets the support they need to thrive.”
Victoria’s Education Minister, Ben Carroll, called the announcement “a win for Victorian students and teachers”.
“We have been unrelenting in our advocacy to the Commonwealth to increase its funding to 25 per cent of the SRS for Victorian Government schools to ensure that all schools in Victoria are fairly and fully funded,” Carroll said in a statement.
“This is a win for Victorian students and teachers, and we are pleased to have reached agreement with the Albanese Labor Government.”
South Australia’s Education Minister, Blair Boyer, said the agreement finally ensures that South Australian public schools will be at 100% of the SRS.
“This is the amount David Gonski said schools need as a minimum all those years ago,” Boyer said in a statement.
“We are talking about funding for students with a disability, for students with learning difficulties, and students regularly not attending school for a whole raft of reasons totally out of the control of the education system.”
Boyer said the funding will also provide greater SSO support for struggling students so that teachers have the time, resources and support to help students achieve the best academic outcomes.
“In South Australia, when fully implemented the five per cent is worth as much as $248 million of extra funding for public schools every single year.”
‘A significant win’
The Australian Education Union Victorian Branch welcomed the announcement, with Australian Education Union Victorian Branch president, Justin Mullaly saying the investment means Victorian public school students will have more support to achieve to their full potential.
“With full funding, schools will be able to employ more teachers and education support staff, reduce class sizes, boost wellbeing programs and ensure every student gets greater individual attention,” Mullaly said.
"The commitment to increase funding means it will be easier to attract and retain school staff and better address teacher shortages, as well as help tackle excessive school staff workloads.”
Mullaly called the announcement “a significant win” for the public school teachers, principals, education support staff, parents and students who have been campaigning for full funding in Victoria for many years.
“We look forward to working with the Commonwealth and State Governments to deliver this investment and support public education in Victoria.”
‘A game-changer for public schools’
The Australian Council Of Social Service (ACOSS) also welcomed the announcement, calling it “a game-changer for public schools”.
Public schools educate two-thirds of students in Australia, including 80% of children from low socio-economic backgrounds, more than 80% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, more than two-thirds of children with disabilities and more than 67% of students from non-English speaking households.
“Education is a powerful tool in combatting inequality,” ACOSS CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie, said. “By fully funding public schools, we can provide children with opportunities they deserve, leading to better outcomes for students and the country as a whole.”
Dr Goldie said ACOSS has long-supported the Australian Education Union’s campaign to fully fund public education which plays a critical role in breaking the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
A recent report by ACOSS and UNSW on material deprivation found children whose parents receive income support are far more likely to go without new school clothes, and regular hobbies because their parents can’t afford them.
“Proper funding of public schools will help take pressure off parents and ensure disadvantaged children have the resources they need to succeed.”
‘A major breakthrough’
The Australian Education Union said the deal “heralds a major breakthrough on full and fair funding negotiations for public schools.”
“With the signing of these agreements, public schools in South Australia will see guaranteed funding increases every year, allowing them to employ more teachers, more education support staff and to provide more help for those students who need it,” AEU federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said.
“That is lifechanging for students and for the teachers and support staff who give 100% every day. Teachers, students and parents will finally see their public schools funded to the level needed for every child to reach their potential.”
‘Labor’s school funding war continues’
While the agreement has been broadly welcomed, some say the new school funding deals for Victoria and South Australia raise more questions than answers.
Shadow Education Minister, Senator Sarah Henderson, said the “school funding war” remains, despite the new investment by the Federal Government.
“With New South Wales and Queensland left out in the cold, it is clear Labor’s school funding war continues with more than half of Australia’s government schools,” Senator Henderson said.
“The government has kept the details a secret which suggests it has done favourable deals with Victoria and South Australia at the expense of government schools in Tasmania, Western Australia and the ACT.”
Senator Henderson said the Coalition is determined to get back to basics by focusing on evidence-based teaching which prioritises reading, writing, maths and science.
“Under the previous Coalition government, annual school funding nearly doubled – from $13 billion in 2013 to $25.3 billion in 2022.”
‘Pathway to 100% funding remains unclear’
Greens spokesperson on Primary and Secondary Education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne called the funding a “welcome step forward” but said the pathway to 100% funding for all public schools remains unclear.
“We’ll look at the details in the coming days but it appears that despite these steps forward we are still a decade away from 100% minimum funding for all public schools in the country,” Senator Allman-Payne said.
“Labor came to government promising to deliver 100% funding to all public schools. If they’re saying that every public school in the country will be receiving 100% of its minimum funding by 2034, that will have been a quarter of a century since Gonski.”
Senator Allman-Payne said The Greens have a fully costed plan to deliver 100% funding to all public schools in the country by July 2025.
“We’ll also ease cost of living pressures on families by eliminating school fees and providing families with $800 back-to-school payments for every child in public school.”