Students will benefit the most from the Minister for Education, Jason Clare’s renewed commitment to get every school on a path to 100 per cent of its fair funding level.
The Minister repeated Federal Labor’s 2022 election promise while announcing the membership and terms of reference for an expert panel to advise on the best way to achieve fair education funding.
Australian Education Union Federal President Correna Haythorpe welcomed the announcement and the Federal Government’s commitment to consulting with the teaching profession as an essential part of the process.
“If Australian public schools had 100 per cent of their fair funding level, students from every background would benefit from smaller class sizes, additional teachers and more resources.
“We welcome the Federal Government’s focus on students who experience disadvantage, including students with disability, from regional and remote areas, First Nations’ students and students from a language background other than English.
“As the Minister says, funding and what you do with it is absolutely critical. But so are the timelines for investment.
“As we said when the Government announced the review process late last year, funding delayed is funding denied. We have a cohort of students in year 12 this year who have never attended a fully funded public school.
“We need to see a clear timeline and pathway to delivery of full funding for every public school and for the students in public school classrooms as soon as possible.
“Public education is a joint responsibility between the Federal and State and Territory Governments, and all governments must play a role in the delivery of that fair funding for public school students.”
