Opinion: The Uniting Church should advocate for public schools to receive more funding

Since the Uniting Church’s very foundation, the church has had a proud tradition of advocating for Australia’s most vulnerable (the statement to the nation included several references to social issues).  

To look more recently, the Uniting Church continues this proud tradition-with success. Along with our advocacy arm, Uniting, the Synod successfully campaigned to establish a drug treatment centre in western NSW. We were the first mainline religious group to endorse and take part in the School Strike for Climate. We are the biggest non-government provider of welfare and one of the biggest non-government employers.  
 
And yet, when it comes to the issue of inadequate public-school funding, the Uniting Church is missing an important advocacy issue that would be perfectly in line with our ethos, and which sorely needs addressing. 

Last year, minister Andrew Leigh commissioned an independent review into Australia’s school funding. An expert panel found that urgent access was needed to address glaring funding gaps, noting that an alarming 98 percent of public schools remain underfunded.  

The issue with underfunding Australia’s public schools is that these schools are the ones that most deal with disadvantage. They have the vast majority of students with a disability, students living below the poverty line, and students from Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.  

For a short time, there was promise on this issue. The Gillard Labor government belatedly embraced the Gonski review into school funding, with its recommendations of sector-blind funding that focused on need. This, however, was later slashed by the Turnbull Liberal Government who introduced what they deemed to be ‘Gonski 2.0’. Shortly before the 2022 Federal election, then-Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese quietly abandoned Labor’s previous commitment to restore the earlier funding model that would have delivered billions more for schools that need it. 

On an individual level, Uniting Church members contribute to the public school system, with congregation members serving as teachers, and providing Special Religious Education (SRE). The church is in this space through its members, and yet funding inadequacy is not on the agenda of any Synod or Assembly meeting…at least not yet. 

The Uniting Church also has a proud record with our own, non-government schools, and regular Insights readers have seen these schools’ achievements reported. Advocating on behalf of public education would not detract from this or contradict our provision of education.  

Given the Uniting Church’s resources and track record, and the Bible’s call to us to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, advocating for public schools is a logical step for the church to take.