Private schools will get $70bn in public money over 4 years – and we don’t know how they spend it
The Department of Education has admitted during Estimates that they have no visibility on how public funding to private schools is being spent.
Under questioning from Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne the Department conceded that they have “no line of sight” from the “cheques” they give to Independent and Catholic authorities in each state and territory to where and how that money is used.
The Department also acknowledged that even though recurrent funding to the private and public sector is determined by the Schooling Resource Standard, a needs-based model that takes into account loading for students with additional needs, funding is being distributed on entirely different models in each jurisdiction.