The release of the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services 2025 (ROGS) highlights the growing disparity in government funding between public and private schools.
“ROGS has shown once again that the gap in funding between public schools and private schools is increasing, with government spending in private schools outpacing government funding for public schools by 22% over the last decade,” said AEU Federal President, Correna Haythorpe.
The data clearly shows the inequity that exists in school funding between the public and private sectors and reinforces the urgency of the current bilateral agreement negotiations between the Albanese Government and state and territory governments.
“Resources delayed are resources denied. For too long, public schools have carried the burden of resource shortages, and yet public schools educate the vast majority of students with the greatest need.”
The Productivity Commission Report On Government Services 2025 shows that private schools have received greater growth in real government investment than public schools over the last decade, in both total and per student funding.
The report found that:
- Over the last decade from 2012-13, total per student funding to public schools has increased by 24.5% at an average of 2.45% per year.
- Private school per student government funding has increased by 30.2% over the last decade at an average of 3.0% per year – 1.22 times the rate of the public school increase.
- Combined State/Territory and Commonwealth government funding to private schools has grown 22% faster than it has for public schools.
Ms Haythorpe said that all governments have a fundamental responsibility to address the growing disparity in government funding between public and private schools.
ROGS highlights the importance of the Albanese Government’s recent commitment to public schools to deliver full and fair funding of 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by 2034.
“There must be bi-partisan support for full funding of public schools. We call on Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton to declare the Coalition’s position and commit to support for all public schools to be fully funded at 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by delivering a minimum 25 per cent from the Commonwealth,” Ms Haythorpe said.
“We urge all governments to work together in the negotiations for new bilateral agreements with clear timelines that ensure this much needed funding is in public schools as soon as possible.”
