Tasmania has signed on to the Federal Government’s ‘Better and Fairer Schools Agreement’, putting pressure on NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia, which are holding out for a better deal.
The deal, announced today, means Tasmania’s public schools will receive an additional $300m over the next five years.
The Bilateral Agreement will also set out the specific timing of the Australian and Tasmanian Governments’ increases in School Resource Standard (SRS) funding shares to get to full and fair 100% funding level as soon as possible by no later than 2029.
The announcement follows Western Australia and the Northern Territory each signing on to the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, delivering record funding to their public schools.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the announcement marked “a massive day for public education in Tasmania”.
“Tasmania’s decision to work with the Albanese Government to fully fund public schools will deliver a better and fairer education system for Tassie,” Clare said.
“This agreement means that all schools in Tasmania will be fully funded and that funding will be invested in reforms to help students catch up, keep up and finish school. I look forward to working with all states and territories to properly fund our schools and build a better and fairer education system for all Australians.”
Tasmania’s Education Minister Jo Palmer said the state’s government has already delivered “significant generational change” and is committed to further improving its education system.
“This funding agreement will ensure our students are supported to get the educational outcomes they deserve so they can lead their best lives.”
However, the Australian Education Union (AEU) said the deal will “lock in inequality” for public schools, students and their families across the next decade.
“The supposed “full funding deals” that the Albanese government has struck have been shown to have fallen short of what is needed to reach 100% of the SRS with AAP fact check finding the announcements made about the Western Australian funding deal to be ‘misleading’, AEU Federal President, Correna Haythorpe said.
“Underfunding of public schools in Tasmania will amount to $259.8 million over a five year period between 2024 and 2028.”
Haythorpe said this comes from the state government’s use of the 4% additional allowance on capital depreciation, regulatory bodies and other non-school based costs, which she said are costs never intended to be covered from the SRS.
“This accounting trick will deny public schools up to $1,062 per year per student by 2029,” she said.
“This will remove $49.4 million of funding from public school classrooms in Tasmania in 2024 alone, and will continue to rise every year to $54.6 million in 2028, resulting in a total of almost $260 million in underfunding.”