TOWARDS THE FEDERAL ELECTION 2013
KEY MESSAGES FOR MEMBERS AND CANDIDATES
12 August 2013
Catholic Education - For a Stronger Community
There are six specific issues identified by the National Catholic Education Commission as requiring
positive commitment from the next Commonwealth Government for sustainable Catholic education
in Australia:
1. How will your policy support parents to choose the education they want for
their children and ensure religious freedom for Catholic schools is preserved?

Catholic schools are community schools seeking to offer an affordable, high-quality, faithbased educational option for families. Currently around 1 in 5 Australian and Queensland
children (735,000/141,000) attend a Catholic school.

Catholic schools strive to develop well-rounded individuals who share and exemplify broader
community values. Catholic education helps build a stronger, more just community.

Catholic schools strive to be open and accessible to all who seek their values.

Catholic schools deliver the same government-accredited curriculum as State schools.
2. How will your policy affect the ability of Catholic education systems and
schools to distribute funding according to locally-identified needs?

The Catholic sector in Queensland operates a needs-based system of distributing
Commonwealth government funding. This is vital because it allows the Catholic system to
make local decisions about meeting the particular needs of school communities at different
times.
3.How will your policy deliver additional government funding to support student
needs and ensure funding keeps pace with the real cost of educating a child?

Catholic school funding must be indexed to keep pace with the real cost of education.

If funding does not keep pace and school fees are increased, this puts pressure on families
who may then transfer children to the State system, costing government more; better
supporting Catholic schools helps alleviate pressure on government schools.

On average, Catholic school students currently receive 20% less government funding than if
they attended State schools. Even when parent contributions are taken into account,
Catholic schools currently operate at just 90% of the resourcing levels of State schools.

Through their contributions, Catholic school parents save government and taxpayers 2.2
billion dollars each year.
4. How will your policy support the needs of students with particular
disadvantage, students with disability and other special needs to receive
funding to meet their needs, regardless of the school they attend?

Catholic schools deliver significant support and resources for special needs, disabled, poor,
disadvantaged and remote students and communities - this deserves equal funding.

Enrolments of students with disability across Queensland’s 296 Catholic schools have
increased by 92% over the past 6 years. The main category of disability in Queensland
Catholic schools, accounting for 46% of all students with disability is the Autism Spectrum
Disorder. Other major categories of disability are social-emotional (15%), hearing (12%),
intellectual (11%) and speech-language impairment (10%).

Meeting the needs of these students requires the development of a long term ‘sector-blind’
policy that responds to the educational needs of these students, wherever they attend
school.

Catholic schools in Queensland have a long tradition of educating Indigenous children and
are proud that almost 5000 Indigenous students are currently enrolled in Catholic schools
across the State (up from 3,300 in 2007).

Catholic education operates 124 schools in provincial and remote areas of Queensland.
5. What government funding for the capital needs of Catholic schools do you
have planned? Does this funding recognise Catholic education’s support of
educationally disadvantaged communities and willingness to build in new
growth areas?

Enrolments in Catholic schools in Queensland have been increasing by around 3% each year
for the past decade.

Queensland’s projected population increase will drive demand for at least 25 new Catholic
schools to be commenced in the next 15 years.

In addition, many existing schools will have to be expanded.
6. How will your policy deliver funding certainty for schools?

Funding certainty is vital to allow schools and school systems to plan ahead with confidence.
Better Schools Plan
From the beginning of 2014, Queensland Catholic schools, along with Non-government schools in all
other States and Territories, will move to new Commonwealth Government funding arrangements
under the Better Schools Plan.
The Better Schools Plan is a six year funding plan. It is expected to deliver modest Commonwealth
funding increases to the Queensland Catholic sector in its initial stages (about $3million across 296
schools in 2014), with the prospect of more significant increases in 2018/19.
Importantly, under the Better Schools Plan, Catholic education will continue to be funded as a
system of schools, and retain the capacity to direct funds to areas of identified local need.
Catholic education continues to seek further amendment to the legislation and regulation to
minimise ‘red tape’ and protect the autonomy of Catholic education systems and their strong record
of achievement and efficiency.
ALP
Catholic education is appreciative of the Rudd Government’s efforts to achieve agreement on the
details of the Better Schools Plan. These arrangements will deliver significant increases over time for
every child in the Catholic system and preserve the autonomy of Catholic education systems.
COALITION
Catholic education is appreciative of the Coalition’s recent commitment to, if elected, continue the
funding arrangements under the Australian Education Act for 2014, and to preserve the quantum of
school funding provided in the forward-estimates. We have also welcomed the prospect of further
amendment to the legislation and regulation to protect the autonomy of Catholic education
systems.