10 December 2023: From the President's desk
ALBANESE GOVERNMENT MUST NOT SHORT-CHANGE STATE SCHOOLS
The Queensland Teachers’ Union strongly supports a push by the Qld State government to ensure the Albanese Government substantially increases its investment in state schools.
A news report over the weekend revealed the Albanese Government is only offering to lift its share of funding for state schools from 20 to 22.5%. The Queensland government is seeking 25%.
During negotiations over new bilateral agreements, the Albanese Government must stop State and Territory governments using accounting tricks to artificially inflate their share of funding and ensure that the funding provided adequately addresses student need. This will ensure students are not put at risk of falling further behind.
Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) President Cresta Richardson said the need for the additional investment is urgent. This will ensure additional support for students with complex needs, small group tutoring for those at risk of falling behind as well as additional funds to ensure smaller class sizes. Queensland is such a large and diverse state and all students who attend state schools deserve the best quality education. We also know the teacher shortage is more keenly felt in regional, rural, and remote areas and additional funding is urgently required.
“Right now, the achievement gaps between children of different backgrounds and locations are too great and we have a growing teacher shortage crisis. Fixing this starts with funding, Ms Richardson said.
We know only 1.3% of state schools are funded to the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) which is the minimum level governments agreed over a decade ago was required to meet the needs of their students. Only 1.6% of the federal budget is spent on state schools.
“The reported offer from the Albanese Government of $2.3 billion for state schools is less than the $3.2 billion it will spend overfunding 40% of private schools, including some of the richest in the nation.
“The challenges are too great and the costs too high for governments to continue to fail on funding. The Albanese Government must contribute a minimum of 25% of the SRS for all states.
“Funding state schools at 100% of the SRS is the only way to ensure every child gets every opportunity to succeed and we have the teachers we need for the future.
“New bilateral agreements next year must deliver full not fake funding for state schools.”
Cresta Richardson
President
Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064