Cost of living relief and a great education for every kid
State schools are meant to be free, but right now, parents are having to spend thousands of dollars in fees and other costs. A typical family will spend more than $2,000 a year per child on things like uniforms, stationery, and subject fees.
Queensland public schools are some of the most underfunded in the country. Queensland’s State schools are underfunded by $1.7 billion every single year because the Labor State government refuses to meet the national minimum standards.
A whole generation of public school kids have passed from Prep to Year 12 without a single day of adequate funding since the national minimum standards were created in 2011.
In fact, since the Gonski review into minimum needs-based funding, Queensland state school funding has fallen short by $20.5 billion.
The Greens will not only close the minimum needs funding gap, but will scrap out-pocket expenses for parents by providing an additional $1 billion every year to cover things like uniforms, sports, IT devices and excursions.
The Greens plan to fully fund state schools:
We will invest $12.8 billion over five years to:
- Fully fund Queensland public schools to 100% of the national minimum standards, closing the $1.7 billion per year funding gap, with $8.4 billion in extra over five years.
- Reduce class sizes & improve teachers’ pay and conditions.
- Abolish resources fees and all out of pocket costs for parents at public schools, including free laptops, uniforms, excursions with $4.4 billion in extra over five years beyond minimum needs-based funding.
- Abolish NAPLAN and work with teachers, unions, and experts to create a teacher-designed test.
Minimum needs-based funding
The Greens will close the $1.7 billion per year gap between minimum-needs funding and the current funding Queensland state schools actually receive. This will take effect immediately, at the start of the 2025 school year.
Under the agreement between Federal and State governments, States should contribute 80% of the minimum needs-based funding for public schools, with the remaining 20% coming from the Federal Government.
Instead, the Queensland State government under both Labor and LNP has systematically underfunded public schools.
In fact, since the Gonski review into minimum needs-based funding in 2011, Queensland State school funding has fallen short by a total of $20.5 billion1.
But right now, Queensland is only contributing 70.5% – well below many other States and Territories. The $1.7 billion per year funding gap is equivalent to every Queensland State school kid missing out on $3,000 in funding.
Inadequate funding means fewer teachers and resources in our classrooms, more out-of-pocket expenses for families, and too many kids getting left behind.
No more dodgy accounting tricks
On paper, the Queensland State government contributes 70.5% of the minimum needs-based funding, while the Federal Government contributes 20% for a total of 90.5%.
However, thanks to a loophole, the State government is allowed to count transport costs and the depreciation of state school buildings and assets towards their contribution, reducing funding by 4% or $500 million per year. This accounting trick means less money actually flowing to teachers, schools and kids.
This means that the Queensland Labor government’s contribution is actually just 66.5% of the minimum national standards.
As a result Queensland State schools are only funded to 86.5% of needs based funding, a gap of $1.7 billion per year.
That funding gap is set to grow to $2.1 billion every year by the end of the decade. This means not enough teachers and resources in our classrooms, more out-of-pocket expenses for families and kids getting left behind.
|
Needs-based funding contribution by state governments to state schools in 20242 |
||||
|
State |
Federal contribution |
State / Territory contribution |
State / Territory contribution after dodgy deductions |
Actual total funding in 2024 |
|
ACT |
20% |
80% |
80% |
100% |
|
SA |
20% |
75% |
71% |
91% |
|
WA |
20% |
75% |
71% |
91% |
|
TAS |
20% |
74.3% |
70.3% |
90.3% |
|
NSW |
20% |
72.7% |
68.7% |
88.7% |
|
QLD |
20% |
70.5% |
66.5% |
86.5% |
|
VIC |
20% |
70.4% |
66.4% |
86.4% |
|
NT |
20% |
59.2% |
55.2% |
75.2% |
Cut out-of-pocket costs
The Queensland Greens will abolish resources fees and all out of pocket costs for parents at public schools, including free laptops, uniforms, excursions with $4.4 billion in extra over five years beyond minimum needs-based funding.
Queensland Labor’s massive underfunding of our State schools also means that schools are increasingly reliant on contributions from parents and carers to operate. Queensland parents pay more than $202 million every year in State school fees, not including extra costs like laptops and uniforms.3
State schools are meant to be free, but right now, Queensland parents are having to spend thousands of dollars in fees and other costs just for their kids to have a chance to keep up.
A typical family will need to spend $2,000 or more a year per child, not just on State school fees, but uniforms, text books, and excursions.4
By fully funding schools to 100% of the national minimum standards, we’ll eliminate the need for State schools to resources charge fees.
We’ll also fund state schools an additional $1 billion per year above minimum needs-based funding to cover things like IT devices, sporting and cultural programs, excursions, and uniforms.
Scrap NAPLAN
The Queensland Teachers Union has been calling on the state government to scrap and replace NAPLAN.5
According to teachers, NAPLAN distracts from student learning and the curriculum; creates high levels of stress for students, families, and teachers; and is not useful to improving student outcomes. In a 2018 survey of QTU members, seven in ten teachers said NAPLAN was harmful.6
Parents are in agreement. Less than a fifth of parents and carers surveyed by P&Cs Qld think it is important to focus on NAPLAN.7
Numerous reviews of NAPLAN, including from independent reviewers like the Gonski Institute for Education have recommended replacing NAPLAN.8
It’s clear that NAPLAN isn’t fit for purpose. The Greens will scrap NAPLAN and work with teachers and experts to create a teacher-designed test.
Funding our plan
The Greens plan to fully fund Queensland state schools by meeting 100% of the national minimum standards, or School Resourcing Standard (SRS), would cost a total of $8.4 billion over five years.
Our plan to abolish out of pocket costs for parents would cost a total of $4.4 billion over five years.
The cost of this initiative will be funded by the Greens plan to raise royalties on mining corporations, which will raise $61 billion over four years.
|
$bn |
2024-25* |
2025-26 |
2026-27 |
2027-28 |
2028-29 |
TOTAL over 5 years |
|
Fund 100% SRS |
0.86 |
1.75 |
1.83 |
1.92 |
2.02 |
8.38 |
|
Abolish out of pocket costs |
0.45 |
0.92 |
0.96 |
1.01 |
1.06 |
4.40 |
|
Total |
1.31 |
2.67 |
2.80 |
2.93 |
3.07 |
12.78 |
|
*Half-school year. |
Sources:
1 Based on comparing finance data obtained from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority with agreements under the National School Reform Agreement. For years prior to 2018, finance data was compared with back projections of 100% SRS based on rules for indexation under the Australian Education Act 2013 and changes in student numbers reported by ACARA.
2 According to individual bilateral funding agreements between the Federal Government and the States and Territories.
3 As reported in finance data obtained from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
4 A number of surveys and reports have attempted to estimate out-of-pocket costs for state school students. A statewide Greens survey (n=721) found that respondents spent an average of $2184 per primary school student and $3087 for secondary a year. This is comparable to results from a P&Cs Qld survey (n=677). A Futurity Investment report, which included additional costs such as transport and outside tuition, estimated ancillary costs were as high as $4000 per child enrolled in state school.
5 Isabella Holland (2024), Queensland Teachers’ Union predicts high number of NAPLAN withdrawals by parents, Courier Mail; Mostafa Rachwani (2021), Queensland teachers told to withdraw own children from Naplan tests as union pushes for reform, The Guardian.
6 QTU member survey on NAPLAN and MySchool
7 P&Cs Qld survey
8 Rachel Wilson et al. (2021), Putting Students First: Moving on from NAPLAN to a new educational assessment system, UNSW Gonski Institute.