Public education should be free - but public funding for Queensland’s state schools is among the lowest in the country.

The Queensland Labor goverment is contributing just 69% to the Schooling Resource Standard, leaving a shortfall of funding in our state of more than a billion dollars every year. Kids and teachers are being set up to fail.

On top of this, schools are charging families more and more for uniforms, resources, laptops, excursions, and even for kids to enroll in particular subjects. Familes are paying around $2,000 every year for a child at a state school. Given the broader cost of living crisis - with the cost of groceries and housing only going up - this can be a huge burden for families. 

It's a disgrace that while we see a state budget surplus of more than $12 billion, our state schools continue to suffer with overcrowded classes, kids not being able to afford school fees, and teachers having to buy pens and backpacks for their students.

What we're fighting for

1. Fund all state school to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard in the next funding agreement with the Federal government
2. Fully fund schools from the BEGINNING of the next agreement - not years down the track
3. Allocate funding to cover all additional costs - this would cost just $1.2 billion annually, to cover out-of-pocket expenses for all kids at state schools ($2,000 per child) 

How much funding is going to Queensland schools?

Queensland schools are some of the most underfunded in the country. State governments are expected to contribute 80% of school funding, with the other 20% coming from the Federal Government. But of all the states, only the ACT actually meets its end of the bargain, with its full 80%. Queensland on the other hand, only contributes 69% - the second lowest in the country. Meaning Queensland schools are missing out on millions of dollars in funding every year, and the Queensland government has no plans to reach their 80% funding requirement. 

The state and Federal governments were meant to renegotiate their funding agreements this year, but this has now been delayed until 2024 - meaning Queensland schools and Queensland kids will go without for at least another year. Under Labor's current plan, Queenslanders will only see state schools funded to 95% of their minimum needs until 2032 (although the capital depreciation loophole will actually see that number closer to 91%). Along with Senator Penny Allman-Payne, we are pushing to make sure our schools are properly funded, and our students and families supported.