“With the ‘Quality Schools, Quality Outcomes’ policy and the ‘Your Child. Our Future’ policy, the Coalition and the Australian Labor Party have given their respective blueprints on school education over the short and medium term,” National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox said.
“But given the complexities of school funding, it was important that parties were given the opportunity to more clearly explain how some of the major issues facing Catholic schools would be addressed through their policies.”
Mr Fox said parents of school students and those who value school education have been taking a keen interest in the federal election. In 2014, the Commonwealth spent more than $14 billion to support students in all schools.
For Catholic and independent schools, in particular, Commonwealth funding is hugely important.
“With 70 per cent of the cost of educating a Catholic school student, on average, coming from governments, and mostly from the Commonwealth, school funding policy is a very important election issue for the 765,000 students in Catholic schools and their families,” Mr Fox explained.
“And with the level of fees required by schools directly linked to levels of government funding, families want to know how funding policies implemented by whichever party forms government after the upcoming election will affect them.”
To read full media release, please click here.
To read a summary of party responses, please click here, or to read the full responses, please visit the NCEC website.
On 29 June, The National Catholic Education Commission and Catholic School Parents Australia issued a release warning of the Australian Greens’ education policy which would create uncertainty for non-government schools. Read the full media release here.
For further information on any of the above, please visit the NCEC website.
