State schools are meant to be free. But right now Queensland parents are having to spend thousands of dollars in fees and resource costs every year.

This is because Queensland Labor has let our schools become some of the most underfunded in the country. Funding for Queensland state schools is falling short by $1.7 billion every year. This means fewer teachers, fewer resources for kids and more out-of-pocket expenses for families.

But we have a rare opportunity to change this – the school funding agreement between the state and federal governments is just about to be re-negotiated for the next five years. That’s why I recently introduced the Helping Families with School Costs Bill, kick-starting a historic inquiry into state school costs and funding. Read more about the bill here. 

Submissions on the bill are now closed, but you can still help by writing to the Federal and state Education Ministers, calling for state schools to be fully funded and genuinely free. 

Head here to write your letter calling for fully funded and genuinely free state schools. 

Labor isn’t going to change their tune without a massive push from the community. In a wealthy state like Queensland – where our state government is sitting on a $12 billion surplus, where corporate profits are soaring – there’s no excuse for underfunding our state schools.