The union said its report used a strict methodology to ensure only schools of the same type – with very similar student, parental and household characteristics, of similar size and in the same jurisdiction – were compared.
AEU federal president Correna Haythorpe said one regional Victorian private school received more than $7000 per student more in government funding than another public school with a “very similar” student profile.
The report found MacKillop Catholic Regional College diverted $6.5 million of income into capital works between 2020 and 2022.Credit: Justin McManus
Nagle College, a private school in Bairnsdale about 270km east of Melbourne, picked up combined federal and state funding of $20,305 per student in 2022. In comparison, Springside West Secondary College in Fraser Rise – on the north-west fringe of Melbourne – got $13,023.
“This unfair private school funding advantage translates into a school resourcing and staffing advantage and has fuelled a private school capital works boom, while at the same time denying public schools the recurrent funding needed to attract and retain teachers and to address the high level of student needs in the classroom.,” she said.
But Independent Schools Australia chief executive officer Graham Catt said independent schools served a broad range of communities with unique needs and the funding reflected that diversity.
Catt said ACARA data showed independent school students received an average of $12,160, while public school students received $22,510 – largely due to state government contributions.
An aerial shot of Werribee Secondary College.Credit: Justin McManus
“It is disappointing to see these repeated and misguided attacks on individual non-government schools, their students, parents and teachers,” he said.
“Rather than fuelling division between sectors, we should be united in ensuring every Australian child receives the best possible education.”
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Schools are funded through a combination of Commonwealth, state and territory government funding, and money from fees, charges and other parental or private contributions.
State and territory governments – which manage government schools – provide most of the public recurrent funding for them. The Commonwealth provides the bulk of the public recurrent funding for non-government schools.
Total recurrent government funding for schooling in 2021-2022 was $78.69 billion, ACARA data shows. This was made up of $53.5 billion from state and territory budgets and $25.1 billion from the Commonwealth.
Werribee principal Amanda Mullins said funding shortfalls meant programs for students falling behind in literacy and numeracy were at risk.
“The main challenges continue to be staffing and being able to run our programs with enough funding for the students with the most need,” she said.
States and territories are locked in negotiations with the federal government to ensure public schools reach 100 per cent of the Schooling Resourcing Standard (SRS) agreed under the Gonski reforms a decade ago.
But a Coalition-era watering down of the agreements mean the states have only had to show they are on a path to eventually reaching 95 per cent of the minimum agreed resourcing requirement.
Victoria education union president Meredith Peace said the data demonstrated the urgency for full SRS funding for all public schools.
“Anything less will fail Victoria’s public schools and their students,” she said.
The Victorian Catholic Education Authority was contacted for comment but did not respond.
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The data teachers say proves public schools are being dudded
