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Title

An unfair go? Government funding of government and non-governments school education

Author(s)

Hayward, David;  Esposto, Alexis

Abstract

The Howard government’s 2004-05 budget was generous to education, with funding increasing by 7% or $883m. With inflation running at around 2.5% and population growth tipped to be 1.2%, this is a significant real increase, enough to see government spending on education increase as a share of our national income (which is tipped to grow by around 6%). But the budget papers contain what would appear to be a curious education funding anomaly, which could easily slip past the undiscerning eye. It would be reasonable to assume that higher education would account for most of the $883m increase, for after all that is the only education responsibility that falls solely on the shoulders of the Federal government. Yet higher education only accounts for one-third of this growth. The single largest contributor is schooling, that part of the education system which is primarily a State responsibility. Over the next twelve months, the Federal government will spend an additional $576m on schools, and this will account for almost two-thirds of the increased education spending.

Publication type

Report

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Institute for Social Research

Publication year

2004

Keyword(s)

Australia;  Education;  Finance;  Government funding;  Government schools;  Private schools;  Public schools

Publisher

Swinburne University of Technology, Institute for Social Research

Copyright

Copyright © 2004 David Hayward and Alexis Esposto.

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