Candidate: Government must fully fund public schools

By Contributed

Mar 27, 2025

The Federal Government must fund public schools to 100 per cent of the SRS, says independent candidate for Farrer Michelle Milthorpe.

The Federal Government must meet its commitment to public education, according to independent candidate for Farrer Michelle Milthorpe.

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Mrs Milthorpe said that while it was a step in the right direction, the government’s pledge to increase federal funding of public schools to 25 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard was still not good enough.

“Education is the foundation of opportunity, yet our public schools remain chronically underfunded,” said Mrs Milthorpe, once a school teacher herself.

“Despite the critical role public schools play in shaping Australia’s future, they continue to receive inadequate financial support compared to private schools.”

If elected in the federal election this year, Mrs Milthorpe said she would fight for a transparent needs-based funding model and accelerate full funding to public schools by 2028.

“The recent agreement to increase federal funding to 25 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2034 is a step forward, but it does not address the immediate and pressing needs of public schools today. We must act now to ensure that every child, regardless of their background or postcode, has access to a high-quality education,” Mrs Milthorpe said.

She said she would also advocate to end the disparity between funding for public and private schools, while holding federal and state governments to account for their education spending.

Mrs Milthorpe said recent statements from the Liberal Party suggesting that “if you don’t pay for something you don’t value it” raise serious concerns about their commitment to public education.