More than 1000 private schools will be stripped of more than $800m by 2029 by the federal government, raising fears about the possibility of fee increases and program cuts. Source: Daily Telegraph.
Exclusive figures reveal some colleges stand to lose more than $7m as private, Catholic and Christian schools face impending cuts in 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Graham Catt, chief executive of Independent Schools Australia (ISA), said such cuts are planned but will “still have a very real impact”, forcing schools to cut or defer programs, reduce staffing or increase fees when families are already struggling with the cost of living.
It comes as school fees across the country have risen five to seven per cent a year on average: more than double the inflation rate.
Between 2026 and 2028, the organisations set to lose the most are Catholic Schools NSW ($120m), Catholic Education Queensland ($107m), the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria ($63m) and the SA Commission for Catholic Schools ($23m).
Tasmanian Catholic schools will lose $5.7m.
Under the federal state funding agreement, private schools receive 80 per cent of their budget (known as a Schooling Resource Standard) from the Commonwealth and 20 per cent from the states.
However, some private schools have received more than 80 per cent from the federal government in recent years, and need to have their allocation wound back to 80 per cent by 2029 as a result.
The National Catholic Education Commission said its schools had planned for the changes, but the figures don’t tell the full story: “Our 2027 budgets are still being developed, and the real question is whether funding is keeping pace with rising costs: staff wages, student wellbeing, compliance and resourcing.”
FULL STORY
Revealed: All the schools set to lose $800m in funding (By Susie O’Brien, Madeleine Keck, and Darcy Fitzgerald, Daily Telegraph)
