2024-25 Federal Budget

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 4, 7  June 2024, page 12.

Schools 

Despite years of promises, the Federal Budget still contained no provision to lift the Commonwealth’s contribution to state school funding and fix the entrenched funding gap.  

The Commonwealth needs to lift its share of the schooling resource standard (SRS) from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, which requires $2.9 billion a year investment. Beyond a reference to negotiating with the states and territories in the portfolio budget statements, there is no provision in the forward estimates for increased funding to state schools. In fact, state school funding actually goes backwards as a percentage of total expenditure over the forward estimates, from 1.56 per cent to 1.54 per cent over four years.

The Budget includes the following changes to funding due to changing student enrolment projections for private schools and increased numbers of students with disability in public schools.
Funding to non-government schools is expected to increase by $136.7 million in 2024–25 and $1.7 billion over five years from 2023–24 to 2027–28, “primarily due to revisions to enrolment projections”.

Funding to state schools is expected to increase by $209 million in 2024–25 and $1.1 billion over five years from 2023–24 to 2027–28, “largely reflecting an increase in the number of students eligible to attract a ‘student with a disability’ loading”.

Disappointingly, the Budget also confirmed the government’s decision not to continue capital works funding for state schools beyond this year.

Other school measures

• $427.4 million over four years from July 1 2025 (and an additional $1.2 billion from 2028–29 to 2034–35) to establish a new Commonwealth prac payment of $319.50 per week for tertiary students undertaking supervised mandatory placements. 
• $34.6 million over four years from 2024–25 to support a national teacher resource hub, which will include a digital technologies hub, a mathematics hub, a literacy hub, a civics and citizenship hub, a student wellbeing hub, Massive Open Online Courses and Number Check, and an Early Learning Languages Australia initiative to make evidence-based curriculum support and professional development materials available to all teachers and school leaders. 
• $5.3 million over two years from 2024–25 to support the Good to Great Schools Australia English, maths, and science pilot program to deliver targeted supports to students. 
• $4.2 million over four years from 2024–25 to support the Australian Schools Anti-Bullying Collective to deliver national bullying prevention initiatives. 
• The National Student Wellbeing Program (previously the school chaplaincy program) continues to be funded at $61.4 million per year ongoing.
• $18.2 million over four years from 2024–25 (and $2.2 million per year ongoing) to develop a new First Nations education policy and engage with First Nations stakeholders. 
• $2.4 million over three years from 2024–25 to finalise and implement the First Nations Teacher Strategy to improve the attraction and retention of First Nations teachers. 

TAFE

The Budget included a welcome $600 million investment in skills and training. This includes $218.4 million over eight years from 2023–24 (and $1.3 million per year ongoing) for skills in the Future Made in Australia agenda, which is designed to encourage private investment to scale up priority industries. 

• $91.0 million over five years from 2023–24 (and an additional $0.6 million over three years from 2028–29) to support the development of the clean energy workforce, including through addressing vocational education and training sector trainer workforce shortages, and funding new and existing training facility upgrades across a range of clean energy occupations.
• $55.6 million over four years from 2024–25 to establish the Building Women’s Careers program, which will fund partnerships between training providers, community organisations, employers, and unions to improve women’s access to flexible, safe, and inclusive work and training opportunities in traditionally male-dominated industries of national priority, including clean energy sectors. 
• $88.8 million over three years from 2024–25 to support 20,000 new fee-free training places, including increased access to pre-apprenticeship programs, in courses relevant to the construction sector and delivered through TAFEs and industry registered training organisations. 
• $27.7 million over four years from 2024–25 (and an additional $32.8 million from 2028–29 to 2034–35) to develop initiatives that break down artificial barriers and harmonise regulatory, governance and qualification arrangements between the higher education and vocational education and training sectors. 
• $265.1 million over four years from 2024–25 for the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System, to provide further support for apprentices, trainees, and their employers in priority occupations.