Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the agreement to fully fund government schools in NSW

Catholic Schools NSW welcomes today’s announcement between the NSW and Commonwealth governments which provides clarity and certainty on school funding for government schools in NSW.

The new agreement plugs the funding gap between the NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government, ensuring that government school students receive full funding based on a standard amount per student, known as the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).

Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic School NSW, welcomed the breakthrough.

‘This announcement provides clarity and certainty on school funding for government schools in NSW, and it’s reassuring to know that every student in the state, no matter the school they attend, will be appropriately funded. The Catholic sector has always supported the full funding of the government schooling sector because no child should miss out.’

‘School funding is not a zero-sum game. Individual schools and each school sector, Government, Independent and Catholic, do not lose funding at the expense of one another.’

‘Publicly available acquitted funding data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) shows despite today’s announcement, government funding per student is still more for government schools, which is the best like-for-like comparison for school funding. This funding ensures Australia’s school system is one of the most equitable in the OECD, and this injection of funding for the government sector will continue to support the mixed model of school provision.’ 

Total government funding per student in NSW by sector in 2023