Victoria digs its heels in over public school funding

Victoria's Labor education minister is demanding the federal government contribute an additional $600 million per year to the state's public schools following months of negotiations over funding. States and territories contribute 75 per cent of the total funding under the current Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) arrangement, except for Victoria which will do so within four years. The Commonwealth contributes 20 per cent across the nation with a known five per cent shortfall, which the federal government wants to address under a proposed agreement that would see the two levels of government split the difference. However, only Western Australia has agreed to the deal and all remaining jurisdictions are pushing for the federal government to boost its offer to cover the full 25 per cent. The $16 billion offer does not include the Northern Territory, with the federal government due to lift its contribution there to 40 per cent within five years. On Sunday, Victorian education minister Ben Carroll insisted he wouldn't back down and will reject the offer, while hitting out at federal funding of non-government schools. He said he wants the government to contribute an extra five per cent total, with each 2.5 per cent of funding equivalent to about $300 million or about $1000 per student. "When you look at the fiscal imbalance and you look at the Commonwealth with their goods and services tax revenue, that for Victoria, stumping up $600 million is not that much to ask for," Mr Carroll told the ABC. "We've already stumped up over $35 billion in school programs and infrastructure over the last 10 years. "Our funding has grown for the public sector more than any other state, while the Commonwealth government's funding has grown three times for the non-government sector." Mr Carroll also said the Commonwealth's funding of non-government schools had "gone too far". "If you walked down the street and said, 'Do you know that eight in $10 goes to the private school system from the Commonwealth?' I think most people would be shocked," he said. "I went through a Catholic education system, but I'm also up-front that I want to bring balance back to the table. "It has gone too far for our most wealthy private schools getting Commonwealth government funding." Those comments attracted criticism from the National Catholic Education Commission, which claims the minister has "grossly muddled the facts". "The Minister infers that the Commonwealth is paying for 80 per cent of the non-government SRS when the truth is that all non-government school families are required by the Australian Education Act to contribute ... reducing the amount governments pay to non-government schools," executive director Jacinta Collins said. Federal Education minister Jason Clare said his government had put an additional $16 billion on the table, which would be the biggest increase in Commonwealth funding to public schools ever delivered. He said no public school outside of the ACT was fully funded and negotiations were ongoing. "We have reached agreements with WA and the NT. I want to do the same with Victoria," Mr Clare said. "This isn't a blank cheque. This funding will be tied to reforms to help kids catch up, keep up and finish school." It's understood the offer of an additional 2.5 per cent funding offer to Victoria is $3.6 billion over a decade, equivalent to $360 million per year. The current Schooling Resource Standard runs out at the end September but existing agreements will roll on for states that don't agree to the new offer.