The Australian Greens’ claim that there is no line of sight on how non-government schools spend government funding is a gross misrepresentation of the facts, says National Catholic Education Commission acting executive director Sally Egan.
“As made clear by the Department of Education in Senate Estimates [on Thursday], Catholic and other non-government schools are required to provide annual reporting to federal and state governments, acquitting the total funding received according to requirements under legislation,” Ms Egan said.
“Annual reporting is just one of the rigorous detailed school and system level educational and financial reports non-government schools must provide.”
In a media release, the Greens said the Department of Education had “admitted during Estimates that they have no visibility on how public funding to private schools is being spent”.
Ms Egan said Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne “seems to have disregarded the advice of the Department of Education assuring the senator non-government schools are required by the legislation to distribute funding on a needs-based model”.
“As confirmed by the Department in Estimates, local jurisdictions, including public education authorities, make their distribution models publicly available and are best-placed to determine need for their school communities.
“The majority of Catholic schools are low-fee systemic schools. Judging the whole non-government sector by a handful of untested examples is divisive and unhelpful to the work of lifting the educational outcomes of all students in all schools.
“We would welcome the opportunity to meet with the new Greens senator to clarify a more accurate picture of Catholic schools,” Ms Egan said.
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Catholic schools are accountable Greens need to stop dividing the education sector (NCEC)
