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SOS: Not the education state: Victorian public schools remain massively underfunded by new schools agreement

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:00:01 +0000

A new schools agreement with the Commonwealth Government continues the longstanding massive underfunding of Victorian public schools by billions while Catholic and Independent schools continue to be overfunded.

SOS: Australia has amongst the highest teacher shortages in the OECD

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 04:59:00 +0000

This Education Policy Brief analyses the state of teacher shortages in Australia based on data drawn from the recent OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey. (TALIS). The analysis shows that Australia’s education system is facing a diabolical staffing crisis. Since 2018, teacher shortages have soared leaving Australia among the worst-performing nations in the OECD.

SOS: Western Australian public schools denied full funding by schools agreement

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:02:00 +0000

In a joint media release on 1 February this year, the Federal Education Minister and the Western Australian Premier announced an agreement to fully fund Western Australian public schools by 2034. However, the actual agreement signed on 27 June, but not published until the end of August, shows that Western Australian public schools will be still underfunded by nearly $200 million in 2034.

SOS: New Schools Agreements Show Public Schools Will Remain Underfunded in 2034

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 02:42:38 +0000

In January this year, in a major policy speech to the National Press Club, the Prime Minister promised that new school funding agreements would provide full funding for public schools.

SOS: 20 richest WA private schools rake in nearly $50 million in non-fee income

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 03:46:00 +0000

Twenty private schools serving the richest families in Western Australia raked in nearly $50 million in 2023 from donations, investment income and other income.

Generative AI Capacity Study | Project scope

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:42:00 +0000

In line with its functions under the Jobs and Skills Australia Act (2022), Jobs and Skills Australia is undertaking a Generative Artificial Intelligence Capacity Study that will consider Generative AI and its implications across the labour market and education and training system.

SOS: Public Schools Bear the Burden of Disadvantage

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 03:37:08 +0000

A new research paper published by Save Our Schools shows that public schools bear a very large burden of disadvantage but are under-resourced for the challenge.

Pathways to Post-School Success Review

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 06:32:18 +0000

The Department of Education, in conjunction with Catholic Education Western Australia and the Association of Independent Schools Western Australia, is conducting a review of pathways for senior secondary students. Read the SSTUWA's submission to the review and response to the review recommendations.

SOS: WA public schools defrauded by new funding agreement

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 10:12:50 +0000

The public education advocacy group Save Our Schools has accused the Prime Minister of lying about the future funding of Western Australian public schools. “It is a blatant lie to claim that WA public schools will be fully funded under the new schools agreement”, said SOS National Convenor Trevor Cobbold.

SOS: The State of School Funding in Australia

Mon, 27 May 2024 03:08:04 +0000

SOS: The State of School Funding in Australia

SOS: Groundbreaking study confirms positive impacts of increased school funding

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 02:36:46 +0000

At a time when the future funding of public schools is being determined by negotiations between the Commonwealth and state/territory governments, a groundbreaking new research paper shows that increasing funding for public schools has positive impacts on student achievement and attainment.

SOS: Over one billion of taxpayer funding squandered on over-funding the richest families and schools

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:52:45 +0000

New figures reveal a scandalous squandering of $1.3-1.4 billion in Commonwealth Government over-funding private schools that enrol children of the richest families in Australia. The over- funding estimate is based on never before published data provided to Senate Estimates on the median income of families with children in private schools.

SOS: Nearly 4 in 5 Australian students didn’t fully try in PISA tests

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 02:22:00 +0000

Unpublished data provided to Save Our Schools by the OECD shows that nearly 4 in 5 Australian students did not fully try in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The figures show wide differences in student effort between countries, which call into question the validity of country rankings of PISA results.

SOS: Productivity Commission should recommend ending tax deductibility for all donations to private schools

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 02:28:22 +0000

The Productivity Commission has recommended that school building funds no longer be eligible for tax deductible donations. It should go further and end tax deductibility for all donations to private schools which are primarily benefiting the richest schools in the nation.

SOS: PISA results intensify pressure on governments to fully fund public schools

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 01:21:04 +0000

The OECD’s 2022 PISA results reveal Australia has one of the most unequal school systems in the OECD and that inequality is increasing. There are large achievement gaps in reading, mathematics and science of five or more years of learning at age 15 and the gaps have widened since 2006. As well, a large and growing proportion of disadvantaged students do not achieve international standards.

SOS: Close the achievement gaps between rich and poor

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 02:51:00 +0000

New analysis of the latest NAPLAN results reveals large achievement gaps in literacy and numeracy between rich and poor students at all Year levels tested. The gaps are up to five and more years of learning by Year 9. Very high proportions of disadvantaged students need of extra help at school to make expected progress through school. The vast inequities harm individual lives, restrict economic growth and foment an unequal and divided society.

SOS: Private school funding model is increasingly incoherent, irrational and wasteful

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:48:05 +0000

The private school funding model introduced by the Morrison Government is becoming more and more incoherent and irrational. It purports to assess the financial need of private schools by the income of families with children in private schools. However, it ignores a growing source of income and assets of better-off families – the Bank of Mum and Dad. As a result, the Commonwealth Government is increasingly over-estimating the financial need of schools and, consequently, increasing their over-funding.

SOS: Expert panel on school reform must support closing the gap between rich and poor

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:44:53 +0000

Save Our Schools (SOS) today called on the Expert Panel reviewing the National Schools Reform Agreement to address the shocking gaps in school outcomes between rich and poor. Trevor Cobbold, National Convenor of SOS, said that there are massive achievement gaps between highly advantaged and highly disadvantaged students that must be closed.

The Next Schools Agreement Must Embrace Key Principles for School Funding

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 08:17:00 +0000

Save Our Schools (SOS) has called on the Expert Panel reviewing the National Schools Reform Agreement to recommend some key principles to guide the future funding of schools.

Achieving equity in education is contingent on clearly defining it

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:34:55 +0000

When I arrived in Australia four years ago from Finland, I was inspired by this question: How can we make Australian school education more equitable?