Zali Steggall writes to the Education Minister re Better and Fairer Schools Agreement

11 February 2025

The Hon Prudence Car MP
Minister for Education and Early Learning
GPO Box 5341
SYDNEY NSW 2001

Re: Better and Fairer Schools Agreement

Dear Minister,

I met recently with teachers from the Manly-Warringah Teachers Association who are concerned that an agreement on the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is yet to be reached between the NSW government and Federal Government.

The teachers are concerned at the chronic underfunding of the public school system that is impacting staff retention and resulting in an inexorable exodus of staff and students from the public school system to the private school system. One of the schools mentioned in our meeting has seen an unprecedented loss of 20 teachers last school year.

Public education plays a critical role in ensuring equitable access to education for all NSW families. Australia’s public education system enrols more than 2.6 million students. However, the latest Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ‘Education at a Glance 2024’ report shows that Australia underperforms against most OECD countries when it comes to investing in public schools (3.3% of GDP, compared to an average of 3.2%). We know that only 1.3% of Australian public schools are funded to meet with SRS entitlements, meaning that
over 98% are underfunded.

The chronic lack of public education funding in NSW has seen widening resource disparities between schools, reduced educational outcomes and a diminishing of social and cultural mix, reducing the capacity for schools to promote social cohesion and intercultural understanding. An uplift of public schools is necessary to ensure that an equity of opportunity remains, despite a student’s socio-economic background. The current underfunding of public schools is resulting in crumbling infrastructure that is impacting the system’s ability to retain students and staff.

The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement aims to ensure that our public schools are high-quality, equitable and inclusive. It commits parties to full and fair funding for schools, building a world-class education system for all students, and encouraging and supporting every student to be the very best they can be no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they face.

The teachers from the Manly-Warringah Teachers Association are deeply concerned that while agreements have been reached with the Northern Territory, Western Australia , Tasmania, the ACT and Victoria, that NSW has not yet reached an agreement, and they question whether the conditions for NSW signing the agreement may be proving too onerous. Where possible I would appreciate an update on the progress of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement in NSW.

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