Letter to the Hon. Anthony Albanese MP and the Hon. Jason Clare MP

22 January 2025

The Hon. Anthony Albanese MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT 2600

The Hon. Jason Clare MP
Minister for Education
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT 2600

Subject: Urgent Call for Election Commitments for Full Funding and Infrastructure Expenditure for Public Schools

Dear Prime Minister and Minister for Education,

On behalf of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales, we write to urge the Australian Labor Party to make an election commitment to 100% funding for public schools and to commit to infrastructure expenditure in federal funding commitments. Further, we call on your government to commit to supporting families with auxiliary costs associated with education, so that any child in New South Wales will always have access to a genuinely free, high-quality education.

Labor has long championed equitable access to education for all Australians, as demonstrated by your support for the original Gonski reforms. However, we note with concern that many public schools remain below the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) due to ongoing systemic underfunding. Every student deserves the opportunity to learn in a properly resourced and well-maintained school environment, and the time for prevarication has passed. Now is not the time to shift the blame for funding shortfalls to the states, nor to use blunt instruments like Section 35(A) of the Australian Education Act 2013 to pressure states like New South Wales to accept less than a full Federal funding commitment.

Too often, debates about public school funding are framed as a zero-sum game—as though funding public schools comes at the expense of private education. This is a false dichotomy. Public school parents ask simply this: for the federal government to equitably invest in every student.
The ongoing use of discriminatory accounting practices, such as the 4% depreciation offset, undermines the principle of true 100% funding for public schools. Public schools are charged for expenses such as depreciation or to fund a regulatory body like NESA that benefits all sectors. These accounting tricks must be eliminated if we are to achieve equitable funding. The P&C Federation stands firmly behind the goal of bringing every public school to 100% of the SRS, without exceptions or deductions.There is no more critical investment than in our children and their futures. Every dollar spent on education now is an investment in a stronger, more equitable, and prosperous Australia.

Falling short will only perpetuate cycles of inequity and disadvantage and shift the associated costs to future generations.

We urge your government to:

1. Commit to cover the auxiliary costs of education and to ensure all families have access to a genuinely free and fully funded public education system.
2. Commit to achieving real 100% SRS funding for public schools and eliminate discriminatory accounting offsets like depreciation and regulatory charges.
3. Ensure Federal infrastructure funding is equitable, with per-student funding for public school facilities matching that of private schools.

We recognise the Australian Labor Party’s historical commitment to fairness in education and call on you to deliver on this legacy. Our children deserve nothing less than a government that prioritises their education and future. The path forward is clear; we urge you to take decisive action.

Yours sincerely,
Aresha Quaass President
Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

Contact:
Aresha Quaass
President
aresha.quaass@pandc.org.au

Gemma Quinn
Chief Executive Officer
gemma.quinn@pandc.org.au

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