In 2024, the Albanese Labor Government reached agreements with every state and territory to put all public schools on a "path to full and fair funding" as set out in David Gonski's 2011 review [2].
The funding mechanism works as follows: the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to all states and territories, lifting the Commonwealth's contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034 [3].
This represents a significant increase, with public schools on average receiving a 70 per cent increase in Commonwealth funding per student when fully implemented [5].
The legislation establishing the "Better and Fairer Schools Agreement" was introduced and all states and territories signed on to the new school funding agreement by late March 2025 [6].
**"Path to" ≠ "Full" Funding:**
The critical word in the claim is "path." The government is not providing full Gonski funding now—it's committing to a "path" that reaches full funding in 2034, a full decade away [7].
This reframes a long-term commitment as an immediate achievement.
**Current Funding Gap Persists:**
Since the Gonski Review in 2012, only 3% of public school students in Australia receive the minimum funding standard recommended by Gonski [8].
To date, approximately 2% of public schools receive the amount they are entitled to based on the Schooling Resource Standard, largely because state and territory governments have not contributed their full share [9].
The claim's language obscures that public schools remain significantly underfunded today.
**Backloaded Funding Schedule:**
The Commonwealth increase is "heavily backloaded until the last five years in NSW, Queensland and South Australia" [10], meaning most schools won't see substantial additional funding for years.
This is not the immediate relief the framing suggests.
**Ongoing State Responsibility:**
Even by 2034, states and territories remain responsible for 75% of the SRS funding [11].
Previous decades demonstrate this is a significant risk—states have consistently failed to meet their funding obligations since 2012 [12].
**Private School Equity Issue:**
The Gonski model was designed as sector-blind, aimed at funding both public and private schools equitably based on student need.
However, by 2022, 1,550 private schools (56.3% of all private schools) were receiving more government funding per student than comparable public schools [13].
While the $16.5 billion additional funding is substantial and the agreement represents progress after years of stalled negotiations, several critical issues remain:
**Timeline Concerns:**
Gonski himself identified the minimum funding level in 2012.
The fact that the government is claiming credit for putting schools on a "path" to full funding in 2024—12 years later and with full implementation still 10 years away (2034)—indicates the slow pace of reform.
Students currently in school will have graduated before these funds fully arrive [14].
**Implementation Risk:**
The success of this commitment depends entirely on state and territory governments following through on their funding obligations.
There is no guarantee Labor state governments will be more committed to closing the 5% funding gap that persists even in their own administrations [16].
**Private School Problem:**
The original Gonski model proposed removing private school subsidies to redirect funds to public schools.
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Instead, private schools have received increasing government support.
The bifurcation of funding means the public school funding increase may not translate to genuine equity—schools with fewer disadvantaged students are better resourced while schools with high-need populations remain underfunded relative to their actual costs [17].
**Real Impact Varies:**
For some schools, the 70% average increase in Commonwealth funding per student represents genuine relief.
Schools with high concentrations of disadvantaged students—those needing the most additional support—often see minimal increases because they're already closer to their SRS level [18].
**Framing vs Reality:**
Government media releases use language like "all public schools now on a path to full and fair funding" [2], which is technically accurate but misleading.
It suggests immediate action when in reality: (a) funding remains below Gonski levels today, (b) full funding is 10 years away, and (c) past governments failed to meet similar commitments.
Education academics note that Australia's school funding model is "catastrophically broken," with Gonski principles undermined by continued preferential treatment of private schools and political interference in state funding decisions [19].
The claim obscures that public schools remain significantly underfunded today and that 10 additional years of waiting contradicts the original 2012 Gonski recommendation.
The claim obscures that public schools remain significantly underfunded today and that 10 additional years of waiting contradicts the original 2012 Gonski recommendation.