The review of funding for schooling, the Gonski Review, is due to report back to the federal government by the end of this year. We are campaigning for the review to recom-mend the establishment of a new, fairer schools funding model and for the federal government to have the courage to implement this through legislation.

Submissions to the Gonski Review?s four commissioned research papers were completed in late September. The private school sector naturally called on the review and the federal government to maintain their current funding arrangements, to encourage parental choice ahead of genuine equity, promote religious-based education and allow private schools to keep on collecting their unregulated fees and donations.

The SSTUWA / AEU submission to the Gonski Review called for future private school funding to take into account the wealth, fees and resources of the school along with student profiles and discriminatory enrolment practices.

Our submission reveals that all of the research papers draw attention to the lack of recognition in the existing funding model of the costs of the public school sector?s obligation to run a system of schools for all Australian children, in all parts of Australia, and that the socio-demographics of public and private schools are entirely different.

Noticeably silent on the matter was the Western Australian state government. One might think that the state government would want to support the provision of public education in Western Australia and join the campaign, but alas they have remained voiceless. At least they haven?t gone as far as the Victorian state government that have actively prevented public school teachers and administrators from lobbying for a more equitable federal funding system.
Mrs Mary Bailey and Huntingdale PS teacher Carmelina Andrews send a message to Gonski

One particular submission of note came from Dr Jim McMorrow of the University of Sydney. He indicates that schools funding in Australia has got to the point where dysfunction, if not corruption, is evident on a number of fronts. Dr McMorrow reveals that the funding system has been slowly corrupted through many political compromises, resulting in key problem areas that cannot be ignored by the Gonski panel:

“Spending on public education represents around one-quarter of all State expenditures, competing with increasing demands for improved services in health, policing and transport. By contrast, the Commonwealth Government has had much greater growth and flexibility in its revenue and expenditure decisions. In relation to schools, this has generally been to the benefit of the non-government sector. These are the schools drinking from the deepest well.”

The federal opposition are also weighing in to the debate: “We support the current funding model for private schools … However we are also committed to considering the findings of the Gonski review … Encouraging and supporting non-government schools is a central pillar in the Coalition?s plans for education.”

On Tuesday 15th November the SSTUWA and WACSSO held morning teas throughout the state as part of the AEU?s National Day of Action. Eight schools in our four target federal electorates held morning teas with SSTUWA staff to talk about the funding issues, with commitments made by teachers, administrators and parents to join the campaign. Thousands of emails were sent to Gonski and the federal politicians calling on them to bring equity back to the distribution of money in education in Australia. Several of our members spent the afternoon letterboxing their local neighbourhood, distributing flyers to inform residents about the issues, calling on the community to lobby their local federal MP.

This National Day of Action has coincided with visits to local federal members of parliament. The Member for Hasluck, Ken Wyatt, and the Member for Canning, Don Randall, met with teachers and parents from their local federal electorates. Mr Wyatt remained open-minded and was surprised by the proportions of government funding given to public and private schools. Mr Randall on the other hand was not supportive of the equitable funding requests of the parent groups, principal associations and teachers unions. He supports private schooling and the „choice? that this provides some parents. We are still trying to make appointments to see the Member for Brand, Gary Gray, and the Member for Swan, Steve Irons, but to date they have eluded our requests. Hopefully in the New Year they can rectify this, and their re-election prospects, and meet with us.

Our campaign won?t be resting over the summer period. So as you wind up another school year and take your well-deserved break, remember that this is a once in a generational opportunity to bring equity to education in Australia. We cannot let this go by.

Between now and March there are things that you can be doing to support public education:

• Organise your own meeting with your federal MP to discuss this vital issue.
• Write to your local newspaper and the „West Australian?.
• Plan to put federal schools funding on the agenda to discuss at your first day back staff meeting in 2012.
• Keep sending emails to Gonski and your MP?s via forourfuture.org.au, and have your family and friends do the same.
• Join in the National Campaign Day on Wednesday 7th March, when Federal AEU President, Angelo Gavrielatos, will be in WA to support our campaign.
• Keep in contact with Lincoln at the SSTUWA on 9201 6000 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Visit www.forourfuture.org.au