Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that currently no public schools in Australia, except for public schools in the Australian Capital Territory, are at the full and fair funding level;

(2) recognises the Government's commitment to make Australia's education system better and fairer by working with all states and territories to ensure every school is on a path to 100 per cent of its fair funding level;

(3) acknowledges the Western Australian Government on being the first state to sign a statement of intent to ensure every school in Western Australia receives full and fair funding;

(4) commends the Government and Western Australian Government on agreeing to support disadvantaged students first by prioritising the most disadvantaged schools to achieve their full and fair funding level; and

(5) further notes the importance of tying funding to reforms that will close the education gap.

I am incredibly proud of the public schools in Pearce and right around Australia. The principals and staff in our schools do an amazing job in educating our children, and work hard to provide a sound basis for lifelong learning. Education plays a crucial role in shaping the social, economic and cultural fabric of our country. Public schools serve as a foundation for fostering equality, promoting diversity and ensuring that every child has access to a quality education, which is why the public school funding WA agreement is so incredibly important.

It saddens me that no public schools in Australia except for in the Australian Capital territory are currently at the full and fair funding level. In 2011, Mr David Gonski AC lead a review of funding for schooling under the Gonski plan. It was recommended that all schools be funded according to the individual needs of their students to give our children the best possible start in life.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to making Australia's education system better and fairer by working with all states and territories to ensure every school is on a pathway to 100 per cent of its fair funding level. I am very pleased that the Western Australian government has secured a funding agreement with the federal government. It will become the first state to fund its public schools to the full 100 per cent of the schooling resourcing standard. This agreement will increase funding for all WA public schools from 95 per cent of the SRS to 100 per cent by 2026. Disadvantaged schools will take priority, with the aim of reaching that funding level as of next year. The additional funding will mean more resources and more support for our students, teachers and school communities.

Pearce is a multicultural community and the public schools look after and educate students from various ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Every child deserves a good, quality education, no matter where they live, what their background is or their financial circumstances and whether they be First Nations or culturally and linguistically diverse students or those living in a rural or remote part of our country. It is incredibly important that we help give them the best start possible, and education is the key. By working together we can deliver much-needed funding reforms and we can tie this funding to the areas of most need, whether it be for the students falling behind at school and needing additional help to catch up so that they finish school or those with health or mental health issues that require additional support. Reforms need to be tailored to funding that will help lift student outcomes. We especially need to better integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into classroom practice.

Both the federal government and the WA state government are committed, through the funding and through reforms, that the agreement reached will ensure our public system for our schools strive for equity and excellence. This is particularly important to ensure that the well-being of students and teachers are at the forefront so that we have a sustainable, quality teaching and non-teaching workforce in our public school system and help eliminate the education gap for students from disadvantaged schools. The agreement is indeed a landmark decision.

The federal government is also supporting our schools in other ways. For example, in Pearce, our school upgrade fund has delivered: $50,000 for outdoor play areas for Banksia Grove Primary School; $24,000 for upgrading and improving existing outdoor learning spaces and repairs and maintenance for school facilities at Butler College; $25,000 for both East Butler Primary School and Mindarie Senior College for the purchase or upgrade of ICT equipment; and $25,000 for Tapping Primary School to upgrade and improve the existing outdoor learning space. Other projects are currently being progressed for funding to assist other schools in my electorate.

The Albanese Labor government remains committed to working with states and territories to get every school to 100 per cent of its fair funding levels in the next National School Reform Agreement. WA Premier Roger Cook recently stated:

The Statement of Intent provides a basis for the negotiation of the next National School Reform Agreement and associated bilateral agreement, which will tie funding to reforms that will help students catch up, keep up and finish school.

In closing, I reiterate that, when we ensure every opportunity has the opportunity to fulfill their potential, it is without doubt good for our students and good for our nation. I commend the motion to the House.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Pearce for speaking on this important topic and for bringing this motion to the chamber. I have five children and the four youngest are enrolled in fantastic public schools in my electorate of Bass. As the elected member in a region where there are more than 35 public schools, I have joined the fight to ensure that every school receives 100 per cent of its funding.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that success in education can be defined as a combination of high levels of achievement and high levels of equity, and that equity in education is also a matter of design and, as such, should become a core objective of any strategy to improve an education system. Ensuring equity of opportunity for all children is something that should be above politics. So I happily threw my support behind the Australian Education Union's campaign calling on the federal government to ensure that every public school is funded up to a basic benchmark level—known as the schooling resource standard.

As a proud former member of Ravenswood Primary in the 1980s and a regular visitor to the current school now known as Ravenswood Heights Primary School, I have seen firsthand the dedication of its amazing teachers and the passion its principal Jason Gunn has to provide the very best educational opportunities to their school community. But a funding shortfall of close to $6,000 last year makes it extremely difficult to meet the needs of many of its students. What would addressing this funding shortfall mean to the Ravenwood's Heights Primary School community? It could mean employing an additional five teachers or teachers assistants or an additional school psychologist. However the funding was carved up, the opportunity exists to reduce class sizes, provide specialist support and improve student and teacher wellbeing. Lilydale Primary School is underfunded by $700,000. Scottsdale High School and Youngtown Primary School are both underfunded by more than $600,000.

Every single public school in my electorate of Bass—in fact, every public school across the state—is underfunded to the tune of $118 million. That's a stark comparison to private schools which were found in a report by independent education economist Adam Morris to be overfunded by $7 million. I don't want to turn this into a fight about public versus private. Independent schools most certainly have their place, and parents should have a choice, but let's be real and recognise that that choice is available only to those who can afford it. As the Tasmanian Association of State Schools Organisations have stated, they believe current funding practices are pitting government and non-government schools against each other.

Every child deserves their schooling to meet the minimum educational standards and the unfair division of funding is fostering unnecessary division. It's not just providing additional assistance for teachers and students and tackling the problem of overcrowded classrooms. It could also mean that other school funds could be diverted to upgrading school facilities. I visited many wonderful schools, both public and private, across my electorate over the past 4½ years, and I've witnessed a stark disparity between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to facilities and basic amenities. And I mean 'basic'. At a minimum they deserve classrooms free of mould, heating that works and functional bathrooms.

Addressing the funding shortfall will also go a long way to relieving the pressure on overworked teachers, who are leaving the profession in droves. An AEU survey found that, even with new teachers, 39 per cent were planning to leave the profession within a decade. As I said earlier today, there is a significant teacher shortage, and I commend the Tasmanian government for several initiatives that they are taking to recruit and retain teachers, but ensuring that public schools are funded a hundred per cent and giving schools the ability to hire additional teachers if they choose will alleviate much of the pressure that they're facing. I acknowledge the recent in-principle agreement between the federal government and the Western Australian government to deliver a hundred per cent of the SRS by 2026. While the funding is tied to reforms under the national schools agreement, there is a lack of detail as to exactly what these reforms are.

Research has shown that, for the period between 2008 and 2022, the gap between high and low socioeconomic status year 3 students has widened substantially and that low SES students are on average five years behind the high SES students by year 9. None of us should be comfortable with these numbers or with standing by as this divide continues to grow. All of our children, no matter what their postcode or where they live, should have access to good-quality education. If the federal government delays taking further action to fix the gap now, we will continue to pay for the shortfall in outcomes for generations to come.

Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Pearce for moving this motion. Education can change people's lives and offer so many opportunities. I, for one, am very grateful for my education, and I am full of gratitude to my maths teacher, Mr Lee Yau Ting, who financially supported my last two years of senior high school fees in Malaysia. Without his support, I would not have been able to complete my senior high school education.

I am proud that all the schools in Tangney consistently deliver high-quality education. We have a world-class education system here in Australia, yet there are no public schools outside the ACT that are at a full and fair funding level. The Albanese Labor government recognises that every child deserves access to high-quality education, regardless of their background or postcode, and we are determined to make Australia's education system better and fairer. The commitment that this government has made is to work with all states and territories to get every school to 100 per cent of its fair funding level in the next National School Reform Agreement, which is being negotiated this year. Knowing that this government prioritises education is important to me and my constituency. Finally, there is action in this space.

This is coupled with the information that has come from the Productivity Commission, which found that the equity gap in schools widened under the coalition's schools agreement signed by the member for Cook. It is unfortunate that it shows that, under the coalition's schools agreement, students from disadvantaged backgrounds were found to be three times more likely to fall behind and that 86,000 students didn't meet either the basic literacy standard or numeracy standard—but not under the Albanese Labor government.

I'm proud that, in my home state of Western Australia, the state government was the first to sign a statement of intent to ensure that every school in Western Australia receives full and fair funding. There will be an investment of an additional $777.4 million from 2025 to 2029 in Western Australian public schools. It is under this agreement that the most disadvantaged schools will reach full and fair funding first, in 2025, and that every child in Western Australia will attend a fully funded school in 2026. This is something to be celebrated, and I would like to commend the Western Australian government on taking up this historic agreement with the Albanese Labor government.

Importantly, the National School Reform Agreement is tied to reforms, as informed by the Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System. It advised on key reforms related to equity, wellbeing and the teacher workforce. It will be focused on driving real and measurable improvements to students' experience and will further support student outcomes and wellbeing with specific reforms, subject to negotiations with each of the states and territories.

The next school agreement is our opportunity to make our education system better and fairer, and tying funding to reforms is the best thing we as a government can do to close the education gap. Full funding is just the first step, but it's a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the Albanese Labor government and the Western Australian government in prioritising education as a fundamental right for all children. It is a shining example of what can be accomplished when a government prioritises education and invests in the future of its citizens. Together let us continue to advocate the rights of every child to receive a high-quality education and let us continue to invest in the future prosperity of our nation.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1945 Kim Beazley Sr, then a new member, remarked that he was glad to see that the Commonwealth government had set up an office of education, and he hoped that the action would one day lead to federal aid to education.

The schooling resource standard, the SRS, is an estimate of how much total public funding a school needs to meet its students' educational needs. The standard is based on the Gonski review commissioned by the Gillard government, which was delivered in 2011. As a federation of Commonwealth and six state governments, we have consistently failed since that challenge by Gonski in 2011, some 13 years ago, to meet the schooling resource standard. Let's just dwell for a moment on what that means. It means 13 years of failure to meet what the review described as a minimum standard, not the maximum standard. Thirteen years—that's a whole generation of schoolkids who have been underfunded in our public schools since the advice received by government, leaving aside the years running back to Kim Beazley Sr's stated hope.

In my first speech, I underlined the importance of a superb education system that is accessible and free. Meeting minimum funding for public education is the starting point for this. So I was so pleased to be able to announce to my Hasluck community at the end of January that the Albanese Labor government and the Cook WA Labor government have come to an agreement which means that, over the next two years, all public schools in WA will meet the schooling resource standard. I am proud that the most disadvantaged schools will be funded first, seeing an increase from next year, with all Western Australian public schools fully funded by 2026. All up, we are looking at an additional $1.6 billion invested in public schools in WA. Every child in a public school in Western Australia in 2026 will attend a fully funded school. This is an important step and one which I hope every other state, in concert with the Commonwealth, will emulate.

Public schools must be fully funded. Family fortunes cannot be allowed to determine the extent of a young student's fortunes. I want to see a public school system that is so healthy that every child coming out is brimming with confidence—the confidence to go to their chosen TAFE or university course or to choose any course they feel drawn to and are qualified for, the confidence to start their own business, if that is what they carry a flame for, and the confidence to travel anywhere in the world and feel prepared for what they might find. I want some of them to turn around after having met the world with that confidence and decide that they want to teach our young people, just like the teachers they fondly remember.

Gonski urged a needs based and sector-blind funding model for education. The meeting of needs, which this excellent agreement does for WA, is crucial. Funding increases of this order can make a real difference to the way in which schools can tackle disadvantage and help to close the gap. Schools like Ellen Stirling Primary School in Ellenbrook, Aveley Primary School and Swan View Primary School might look at ways to employ more education assistants to engage in one-on-one learning. Schools like Moorditj Noongar Community College might look at extra ways to bridge cultural and family experiences to support student learning. Schools like Falls Road Primary School in Lesmurdie and Herne Hill Primary School might look at ways to make their already growing STEM programs more connected with institutions outside their schools. The possibilities are endless, and with our support and with proper funding I know that our schools and our teachers will find a way.

I am also pleased that the funding increase has been tied to reforms aimed at closing the gap and reforms focused on real and measurable improvements for student outcomes in academics and wellbeing. The reforms being discussed follow on from the review commissioned by Minister Clare and published in December last year which recommended that we engage in reform in relation to equity, wellbeing and teacher workforce development. We are facing a world, as Minister Clare has noted, where finishing year 12 and completing some sort of tertiary education at TAFE or uni will be fundamental to accessing the jobs of the future. This funding agreement is an investment in that future.

I pay special tribute to Minister Clare today. He was elected to this place in 2007, saying the following:

Our education system is the most powerful cause for good in this country. Run well, it can ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their potential. It is the great equaliser in an unequal world.

The minister can be proud of the success he has achieved, and I know his ambition runs deeper still, as does mine, as does this government's.

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very glad to speak on this motion. I thank the member for Pearce for bringing it forward. The member for Pearce knows the transformative, egalitarian power of education. She knows that it can be the greatest means of delivering fairness, equality of opportunity and individual fulfilment, which is why it's always been a core pursuit of the Australian labour movement and the Australian Labor Party. Just as Labor built Medicare to be the foundation of our universal public health system, we are now working to ensure that public schools are funded to 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard. As a proud Western Australian, I am really pleased to be here tonight with my WA Labor colleagues to recognise the cooperative work of the Albanese and Cook Labor governments which will mean that WA is the first state to reach that milestone. Thanks to the work of Minister Jason Clare and his WA counterpart, Tony Buti, all public schools in WA will reach the 100 per cent SRS mark by 2026, with disadvantaged schools getting there a year earlier in 2025.

I am fortunate to have grown up shaped by a public school education. My mum is a teacher. She continues to work right now at age 76 on a relief basis to support the learning of children with disability. Both my sister and my sister-in-law work in public schools. My best friend retrained from having been a stonemason to be a school teacher, and he is part of the incredible and life-changing team at Port School in Freo.

Every year I am privileged to visit and spend time with the teachers, staff and students at some of the 63 schools in my electorate, from North Freo to Aubin Grove Primary School, one of the largest primary schools in the state, and from Treeby to South Lake and South Coogee. As I've said, education is the great driver and guarantor of opportunity and equality. It's the best way of supporting social mobility and of resisting the socioeconomic factors that otherwise limit a child's potential as a result of their postcode or circumstances. At a time of difficult economic pressures, which always put equality at risk, it is vital that we refocus our efforts on improving our education system, to ensure that no child is left behind.

Not for the first time, it's a Labor government that's stepping up to support public schools, just as we support access to early childhood education. We know what a high-quality and accessible public education system means for shaping a healthier and fairer society. We know that, by investing in our schools, we're investing in the engine rooms of opportunity for young people and providing teachers with the resources they need to make that happen. This landmark agreement by the Albanese and Cook Labor governments will see all Western Australian public schools fully funded to the resource standard for the first time, creating a stronger public education system for all, to help every student fulfil their potential.

Under the coalition's schools agreement, the equity gap in schools actually widened. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds were found to be three times more likely to fall behind. That should never have been the case. We can't allow that to continue.

By contrast, Labor's National School Reform Agreement will link funding to reforms which are designed to improve education across the board. As part of this new agreement, Labor will focus the additional funds where they're needed most, so that children can catch up, keep up and stay in school. As I said, by 2026, the year after next, every child in Western Australia's public education system will attend a fully-funded school, and, quite rightly, the most marginalised schools will get there a year earlier, next year.

The Albanese government is delivering an additional $777.4 million into the Western Australian public school system over the next four years. The Cook government's commitments add to that, and the total package of funding is $1.6 billion over that period. It will improve the quality of school education, improve student and staff wellbeing and support a strong and sustainable workforce.

Last year, one of the most heartening and uplifting experiences I had was going to Atwell College and seeing how they support the education of children with a range of disabilities. I had a tour with Deputy Principal Brent Passchier, and all of the features of that college function together in the specialist Kim Beazley Learning Centre building, to support kids who really need the best that our education system can offer, and the faculty and students there make it a caring, creative and flexible learning environment.

There is no question that, by making sure our public schools are as good as they can be and should be, we'll be true to our values in this country—our values of fairness and equality of opportunity. This breakthrough new agreement between the Albanese and Cook Labor governments is a massive step in supporting Western Australian schools to deliver on that promise.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, this debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made in order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:18