AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT

SCHOOLS

 

Press Release 717

 

EVEN WITH GONSKI 2.0 FUNDING

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL SPENDING NOT HIGH

BY OECD STANDARDS.

 

A new analysis by the Grattan Institute at http://www.afr.com/news/policy/education/after-gonski-funding-boost-australian-school-spending-will-be-near-oecd-norm-20170803-gxol9w#ixzz4pIzqC5Ef
overturns the conventional wisdom that Australia's school spending is high by international standards. Even after the $24 billion funding boost to schools from the Turnbull government's Gonski 2.0 package, Australia's school spending remains in the middle of the pack of OECD nations.

The analysis shows that after Australia's large proportion of school-aged children is factored in, the often-cited high level of Australian school spending as a proportion of GDP melts away. With 166 school enrolments per 1000 population, Australia is above the OECD average of 147 per 1000 population.

Australia will still spend less on school education as a percentage of GDP than Finland, Norway and New Zealand, all of which outperform Australia in a benchmark test of school achievement, the OECD's Programme of International School Assessment (PISA).It also shows that Australia's school education spend is at a similar level to many other countries which outperform Australia in most parts of the PISA test, including Japan, Germany, Canada and South Korea.The only two OECD countries whose school spending is well below Australia are Mexico and Turkey. Because Australia has a high level of private spending on schooling compared to other countries, in order to give the fairest comparison the figures count both private and public spending on schooling. However if only public spending on schooling is used in the comparison, Australia' school spending is well below the OECD norm, even after Gonski 2.0.

Dr Goss from the Grattan Institute said that, because Australia would be close to the OECD norm after the injection of Gonski 2.0 school funding, any additional school spending would "need to be justified…Let's stop arguing about it. Given that our total spending is about right, let's make the best of it," he said.

DOGS do not necessarily agree that enough money is being spent, particularly on public education. But they do agree that we should look very carefully at where it is going – especially when it goes to inefficient, sectarian schools that duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate or even replace public school facilities and deprive a large percentage of Australian children of educational opportunities

 

 

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