On March 22, The Federal Government announced its 2022/23 Budget, which claims to provide record funding for childcare, schools and universities. However, while some within the education sector have applauded the government’s allocation of spending, there are others that feel critical areas that will be pivotal to the sustainability of Australia’s education sector have been neglected. 

Schools and students 

Australian schools continue to receive record funding, with students standing to benefit from a range of new programs, including a $17 million grants programs for Indigenous boarding providers and a new $10.9 million regional scholarship program. 

An additional $62.4 million will also be provided to continue support to projects that enable better student educational outcomes through the National School Reform Fund and the Non-Government Reform Support Fund. 

More than $10 million in funding will be directed towards an “Emerging Priorities Program” that aims to assist school in supporting students who have been affected by the pandemic and the recent floods in Queensland and New South Wales. 

Alongside this program, the Budget aims to address calls for greater focus on improving student’s mental health, wellbeing and relationships. This includes $6 million to support schools in delivering the Respectful Relationships Education Program, and $9.7 million for new measures to help teachers and school leaders better understand and respond to the mental health and wellbeing needs of students. 

Private schools versus government schools 

There were however objections to the allocation of school funding, with the Australian Education Union (AEU) calling the Budget to be “a failing” for the public school sector, claiming it “put public education last.” 

“This budget is incredibly disappointing, but not surprising given the blatant preference for private schools and private VET providers that the Morrison Government continues to show at the expense of public schools and TAFEs”, says AEU federal president, Correna Haythorpe. 

According to the AEU, funding for private schools has increased by $2.6 billion over the forward estimates, while funding for public schools has been reduced by $559 million over the next three years. 

Higher education, research and international 

Conversations around investment in tertiary education has been somewhat mixed within the sector, with some applauding the allocation of funding, while others claiming it neglects to address key issues. 

Almost $1 billion has been set aside for five years to invest in the commercialisation of university research, with $505 million dedicated to grants that support research projects and $295 million to establish new training pathways for students and researchers. 

Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson says this will play a crucial role in conducting the research that underpins Australia’s prosperity, competitiveness and security. 

“We know that every dollar spent on university research returns $5 to the economy, so the Treasurer’s focus on supporting research commercialisation, with $988.2 million over five years from 2021-22, will deliver significant bang for buck,” she says. 

However, the AEU believes the government is neglecting TAFE within its Budget and ignoring the crucial role it plays in addressing Australia’s growing skills shortages. 

TAFE has suffered $8 billion of cumulative funding cuts since 2013, but rather than directing funding to TAFEs, the government has instead pledged up to $12 billion over 5 years to the National Skills Agreement (NSA) with states and territories, and $2.4 billion to the new Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System (AAIS). 

Investment in teacher attraction and training 

With more than half of school principals experiencing teacher shortages in 2020 and a decrease in teaching degree applications and completion rates, the government has dedicated $228.5 million over the next four years to attracting new people to the teaching profession and raise the calibre of teaching. 

This will include establishing an expert panel to develop new minimum standards for initial teacher education courses. Beyond this however, it is unclear how else the government aims to address the pressing issue of the 50,000 teachers who are expected to leave the profession by 2025. 

If you’re looking for staff within the education sector, contact Bayside Group today and speak with one of our specialist consultants.