The Australian Education Union has welcomed the announcement made by the Australian Greens to introduce a bill to remove the arbitrary 20 per cent cap on Commonwealth funding for public schools' Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).
"If passed, this bill could significantly change the lives of Australia's public school students and AEU members who teach them," AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said.
"Report after report and review after review has shown that governments have short-changed public schools for over a decade by denying them their full share of SRS funding, the minimum investment each public school student requires.
"In sharp contrast, all private schools are over-funded way above their SRS levels by governments, to the tune of billions of dollars.
"The arbitrary federal funding cap of 20 per cent, a shameful legacy of the former Coalition Government, has exacerbated this inequity, leaving public school students, teachers, principals and staff cash-strapped for important resources and amenities.
"Australia's public schools do not discriminate. They open their doors to each and every Australian student, no matter their background, and equip them with high quality education that can set them up for life. They must be supported as such.
"All governments must collectively ensure that every public school has the funding they need for their students."
