2019-02-02
Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has said both the Liberal and Labor Parties lack the courage to take on overfunded private schools. The recently released Report into Government Services (ROGS) has shown that non-government school funding per student has grown 2.7 times faster than public school funding per student in the last decade.
Dr Faruqi has also commented on newly released data that shows some private schools in some of the richest areas of the country continue to be overfunded by the Commonwealth Government. The Department of Education and Training released funding data for Independent Schools that has shown this overfunding. Under current legislation, the Commonwealth target share for independent schools is 80%.
For example:
School
Suburb
Commonwealth Funding
Commonwealth Share of Funding
Loretto Kirribilli
Kirribilli
6,159,069
170%
St Aloysius' College
Milsons Point
6,080,243
166%
Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College
North Sydney
5,900,799
164%
Daramalan College
Dickson (ACT)
10,631,877
129%
Melbourne Grammar
Melbourne
6,343,662
105%
St Joseph’s College
Hunters Hill
6,358,653
104%
Senator Faruqi said:
“What this data shows is a complete failure of both the Liberal and Labor parties to take on the overfunded and entitled private school lobby. Over the last ten years, Governments of both stripes have showered private schools in money, increasing private school funding by 30% while public school funding has only grown an abysmal 10%. With public money, public schools must always come first.
“This rush to throw money at already overfunded private schools has reached its peak under the Morrison Government, which has significantly accelerated their funding. This is a Government that continues to ignore public school students, teachers and parents.
“Billions going to already overfunded private schools are billions not going to the public sector.
“Data shows that Independent schools continue to be showered with public money well beyond their entitlement. It is completely unfair that private schools in some of the richest postcodes in Australia continue to receive excessive amounts of public money which should be going to public schools.
“Both Labor and Liberal lack the courage to take on the Catholic and private school lobbies that continue to demand more and more money. Only the Greens have the courage to call out the blatant gaming of the system by private schools.
“Only the Greens have a plan to fully fund our public schools and provide the capital funds they need to upgrade and expand their infrastructure” she concluded.
The Greens plan to fully fund public schools is available here: https://mehreen-faruqi.greensmps.org.au/articles/fully-funded-public-schools-australian-greens-launch-package-public-education