School Funding Data under the SRS Framework

Question

Senator KOVACIC: I understand the complexities of that reporting. Does the department prepare a school-level breakdown showing how much SRS funding is actual school funding versus indirect expenditure? Mr Cook: I don't believe so. Ms Brighton can help. Ms Brighton: We provide to states and territories an estimate based on student characteristics of what we think school funding will look like for their schools. That's provided to states and territories to assist them with their budgeting, because we incorporate into that student characteristics and the indexation. You made reference to what actually goes to schools. Each of the schooling systems operate slightly differently. In big jurisdictions, they will have a strong level of support they provide to their schools. Earlier on in the hearing, there was reference made to the ACT government's recent review of school funding. That review highlighted the opportunity the ACT has to recalibrate itself, as a small jurisdiction, to provide more supports to its schooling sector from the centre, rather than individual schools having to do it. It varies across the country. Senator KOVACIC: Do you have that data via jurisdiction? Ms Brighton: We provide a tool to states and territories about what our allocation would look like for them. I think I've reached the extent of my understanding of that tool. If you've got more detailed questions, Mr Davern will be able to help. Mr Cook: The information would be on the My School website. Our systems are required, on the My School website, to provide information about state and Commonwealth funding at a school level. They don't provide it to the department; they provide it through the My School website process. If you go onto My School and say, 'I'm Tony Cook primary school', you could look at Tony Cook primary school and you could see how much money went to that school from the state, how much went from the Commonwealth, how much went in fees-all that sort of stuff. Senator KOVACIC: Each jurisdiction doesn't provide those details to you? Mr Cook: Not at a school level, no. Senator KOVACIC: But a jurisdictional level? Mr Davern: As Mr Cook mentioned, they provide that data to ACARA, and that's published on the My School website. As Ms Brighton mentioned, the Commonwealth will, as is set out in the Australian Education Act, calculate a school funding entitlement. But the school systems, under the Australian Education Act, can have what's called their own needs based funding model, which might not mirror the way the schooling resource standard is calculated in the Australian Education Act. Jurisdictions and school systems are required to publish information about how their needs based funding models work online. We have that, and we look at that; that's a topic we're interested in. Between the data that's provided to ACARA and the transparency provided over the needs based funding model, that's the visibility we have. Senator KOVACIC: Can you go into a little bit more detail around that and what you have. You have the specific details for each jurisdiction. Could you explain that to me again; I didn't quite grasp that. Mr Davern: It's a needs based funding model for each approved system authority, which is the terminology we use to describe a school system. A jurisdiction that looks after government schools is an approved system authority, and each jurisdiction is required to provide information on how its needs based funding model works- and that's published online. Senator KOVACIC: I think you said the school systems under the act can have what's called their own needs based funding model; is that correct? Mr Davern: That's correct. Senator KOVACIC: And it might not mirror the Commonwealth part? Mr Davern: That's correct. Senator KOVACIC: Why doesn't it mirror it? Mr Davern: It's in recognition of a diverse country with different needs and different types of students. It follows the principle of subsidiarity, where those closest to the schools have a better understanding of the need. Therefore, the needs based funding model might differ from the Commonwealth's. Senator KOVACIC: That might be schools in the Northern Territory, where there is- Mr Davern: Precisely. We see different loadings and approaches to supporting different types of need. Senator KOVACIC: Do you have the data on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis? If so, could you provide that to us? Mr Davern: I'll take it on notice. Mr Harding: There's a section 127 report that shows how much is paid to the approved authorities, which would have how much money is paid to each jurisdiction. That's like a one-to-many-there's one approved authority in many schools. Sometimes there's a one-to-one relationship. The approved authority is the school. In that report you can see a lot more transparency about the base and each of the loadings that have been paid to each of those approved authorities. Senator KOVACIC: Will that differentiate where it doesn't mirror the Commonwealth? Mr Harding: That'll just say how we paid the funding. There are links to how those particular funding models distribute the funding-there'll be a link in that report as well. Senator KOVACIC: So all the data I'm seeking is in that- Mr Harding: The section 127 report.

Answer

Please see the attached PDF.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• SQ26-000678.pdf (opens in a new tab)