The battle over school funding in Australia has long been a contentious issue, and in 2025, the debate is showing no signs of slowing down.
As public schools continue to struggle with limited resources, private schools are receiving record levels of government funding—fuelling frustration among educators, parents, and policymakers. With billions of taxpayer dollars flowing into elite institutions, critics argue that public schools are being left behind, deepening educational inequities.
However, supporters of Australia’s current school funding arrangements maintain that all students, regardless of where they are enrolled, deserve government support.
So, is Australia’s school funding model fair, or does it favour the privileged?
On Thursday last week, Independent Schools Australia (ISA) CEO, Graham Catt, said ISA had put the Australian Greens “on notice” in response to what he called their “divisive class-war rhetoric, which unfairly misrepresents Independent school families.”
“There isn’t an Independent school parent, teacher, or principal who doesn’t support full funding for public schools. But this isn’t a competition,” Catt said.
“Students in our government schools should be fully funded, and so should those in Independent schools. Promoting the idea that funding public schools fairly means stripping funding from Independent school students is just wrong.”
Catt claimed The Greens “attack hardworking families with misleading and inflammatory rhetoric”, warning “it needs to stop now”.
“This election, we will make sure every Independent school parent knows who supports them—and who is wants to make their child’s education more expensive,” he said.
From Thursday last week, ISA has been rolling out a targeted advertising campaign in 17 key seats—including those where Independent school families make up a significant portion of the electorate.
A clear divide
Greens spokes for Primary and Secondary Education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said private schools receive $51m every single day from the Commonwealth, while 98% of public schools don’t even get their bare minimum funding.
“Despite all of that public money, many of the richest and most privileged private schools are gouging parents and carers, jacking up fees this year by as much as three times the rate of inflation,” Senator Allman-Payne told The Educator.
“The average private school fee for Year 12 is now about $21,000 in Victoria and $16,000 in NSW. The highest fee private schools are now charging over $50,000. Meanwhile, many school teachers in the under-resourced public system are forced to dip into their own pockets to provide stationery for their kids.”
Senator Allman-Payne said The Greens’ policy funds every school in Australia to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard, regardless of whether they are public or private.
“I think many people will be wondering why the private school lobby is campaigning against the Greens, when we’re the only party fighting for a fully funded and world-class education for all kids, no matter their family’s wealth or what school they attend,” she said.
Like Labor and the Coalition, we support the current pathway to bring funding to the overfunded private sector down to 100% of the SRS by 2029. But we’re the only party calling to lift spending on public schools to 100% of the SRS by 2026, and we’re the only ones with a plan to invest Commonwealth money in public school infrastructure.”
Senator Allman-Payne said The Greens also help parents and carers with soaring out-of-pocket costs by abolishing public school fees and providing $800 back-to-school payments for every public school child.
“With a minority government almost certain in the next term the Greens will be putting our plan for public schools on the table in any post-election negotiations.”