The Queensland and Federal Governments have signed up to a new joint public school funding deal.
It means an extra $2.8 billion will go towards fully funding Queensland state schools over the next decade.
In exchange, Queensland will now have targets to reach, including improving numeracy and literacy NAPLAN results and increasing school attendance rates.
The deal is part of a Federal Government agreement that was initially rejected but has since been picked up by every state and territory.
Background
All schools receive a combination of Federal, state and territory funding. The minimum funding a school requires to operate is measured by the schooling resource standard (SRS).
In 2023, a report from the Australian Education Union found 1.3% of public schools were meeting the SRS, compared to 98% of private schools.
Last year, the Federal Government announced its “Better and Fairer Schools Agreement” (BFSA) to ensure better funding for public schools.
Funding deal
Prior to the BFSA, the Federal Govt provided 20% of the SRS, with state and territory governments paying the rest.
The Federal Government initially offered to increase its funding from 20% to 22.5% for all government schools by the end of the decade.
Queensland was among nearly all states and territories to reject the original deal.
Since then, each government has struck a deal with the Commonwealth.
Queensland
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After NSW entered an agreement earlier this month, Queensland became the final state to reach a deal.
The Federal Government has now agreed to raise its SRS contribution in the state from 20 to 25% by 2034.
That will mean all 1,266 state-run schools in Queensland are due to be fully Government-funded within a decade.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the extra funding “will raise the bar in classrooms”.
Standards
The Federal Government said the funding is not a “blank cheque,” tying it to a suite of education reforms and targets.
This includes rolling out phonics assessment in Year 1, testing a child’s ability to mix sounds together and read words out loud.
The Government also wants to boost high school completion rates by 7.5% by 2030. The latest data shows roughly three-quarters of students complete year 12 in Queensland, slightly below the national average.
Reaction
The Queensland Teachers’ Union described the funding as “historic,” saying it will help “resource our schools with what they actually need.”
Queensland’s funding agreement caps off nearly a year of federal negotiations to reach a public school funding agreement with the states and territories.
Education Minister Jason Clare said the deals are a “game‑changer for public education and it's a life‑changer for our kids at school today”.
The Coalition plans to match all the agreements “dollar for dollar”.
