An article in a major metropolitan newspaper has highlighted a repeated problem in the coverage of school funding, and prompted a plea for honesty and integrity to the leaders of major media outlets.
The article, published in the context of a Federal election campaign, indicates –
“It is good to remind voters the federal government funds school education this way: $3,282 per government school student, $9,694 per Independent school student and $10,788 per Catholic school student.”
While absolutely true, this is only half of the story, and provides a totally misleading picture.
The same source linked to in that sentence also provides the data that shows that state governments fund school education this way: $12,238 per government school student, $2,499 per Independent school student and $2,828 per Catholic school student. [Source: ACARA, National Report on Schooling 2020 data]
Some simple maths showing total per student funding by combining those two figures of –
- Government $15,520,
- Catholic $13,616,
- Independent $12,194.
‘The level of public funding of students being educated is non-government schools is certainly a matter for legitimate public debate’ said Mark Spencer, Director of Public Policy for Christian Schools Australia, ‘and Christian schools do not shy away from that discussion’.
“We are happy to make our case for the significant contribution to ‘the common good’ made by our schools and evidenced by the comprehensive research published in 2020 as part of the Cardus Education Survey’.
‘Our distress lies with the consistent and repeated publication of data of Commonwealth government school funding alone which creates a false and misleading impression of the levels of public support for non-government schools’.
‘This reporting feeds into divisive attempts to unwind the bi-partisan commitment over the last decade to needs-based and sector-blind funding’, he said.
‘We have written to leaders of key media organisations, calling on them to take steps to ensure that across all of your published material Commonwealth government school funding will never be reported without inclusion of equivalent State/Territory government funding’.
‘We make the same call on the leaders of all media outlets’, he said, indicating that this simple commitment will make an enormous difference and allow a properly informed debate on this issue.
‘Particularly during a Federal election period, the media plays a key role in informing the public’.
‘We need to ensure that the truth regarding school funding is published’, he said, ‘not repeated publication of half-truths that merely serve to misinform and mislead the public.’
ENDS
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