Execu ve Summary .............................................. ................ 3
1. Introduc on ................................................... .............. 9
2. Popula on growth demands investment in public schools ...................................................... 10
3. Temporary classrooms are not a permanent solu on .............................................................. 11
4. How the Commonwealth abandoned public school buildings and infrastructure ................... 13
5. An ongoing “ra o of inequity” that leaves public schools struggling to meet demand ........... 17
6. Devolving responsibility to the states and territories lets the Commonwealth off the hook and exacerbates the capital funding divide ........................ ...... 21
7. A tale of two sectors: Why state and territory capital investment alone is not enough .......... 22
8. Private schools have received consistent and significant capital funding from Commonwealth and state governments for many years ............................................................................................. 29
9. Public schools are le to languish by the Commonwealth ....................................................... 30
10. Realloca on of recurrent income allows private schools to divert excess funding toward building projects.............................................. ................... 32
11. Some private schools spend more on buildings than en re state and territory public school systems .............................................................................................................................................. 35
12. Investment in public schools benefits students, communi es and the economy .................... 37
13. Conclusion — the way forward to give public schools students the schools they deserve ...... 39
Appendix 1 Details of Individual schools funded through the Commonwealth Non‐Government Capital Grants Program .......................................................................................................
Appendix 2: ……Private schools with the highest capital expenditure ranked by 2021 total ........... 49
The connec on between high quality school facili es and success in educa on is well established.
In 2011 the Review of School Funding found that “Student outcomes are strongly influenced by the design of learning spaces and the facili es in a school.”1
Twenty‐first‐century learning, with the focus on mee ng the diverse needs of students and equipping them with all with the knowledge, skills and capaci es required in society and the modern workforce, requires safe, high‐quality teaching and learning environments for all students. Modern schools must also ensure that they are able to provide appropriate learning environments for student cohorts that are increasingly complex including a substan al increase in the number of students with disability in recent years.
Australia’s popula on of school age children is projected to grow rapidly over the next 20 years, and the Australian Bureau of Sta s cs projects that by 2042 there will be an addi onal 1.9 million children aged between 5 and 19 years in Australia, an increase of 38.2% from the current popula on.2 The number of public schools students has already increased by 160,000 students between 2015 and 2022, and the Commonwealth projects that public school enrolments will rise by a further 160,000 by 2029.3
However, despite the benefits of modern and well‐designed learning spaces and con nual popula on growth, over the last decade infrastructure in Australia’s public schools has been steadily deteriora ng, and Australia’s public school building stock has a high prevalence of aging buildings with issues ranging from leaking roofs to unstable structures and inadequate facili es like science labs, libraries, and sports areas – all of which are essen al for a holis c educa on.
Addi onally, the Expert Panel of the Review to Inform a Be er and Fairer Educa on System calls for the implementa on of “full service schools” which “strengthen links between schools and community and health services” and which will require substan al new school buildings and reconfigura on of exis ng buildings if these services are to be co‐located with schools.4 In addi on, the Commonwealth, state and territory governments have agreed to create a system of founda onal supports for children with disability as a way to improve services and take the pressure off the NDIS. These services are expected to be delivered in schools and will require new dedicated therapy areas that currently do not exist and will need to be built within schools.
1 Review of Funding for Schooling—Final Report, 2011, p.87 2 Australian Bureau of Sta s cs, Popula on Projec ons, Australia, 2017‐2066 ‐ h ps://explore.data.abs.gov.au/vis?tm=POP_PROJ_2011&pg=0&hc[dataflowId]=POP_PROJ_2011&df[ds]=PEO PLE_TOPICS&df[id]=POP_PROJ_2011&df[ag]=ABS&df[vs]=1.0.0&pd=2023%2C2042&dq=0.1%2B2%2B3.A15%2 BA10%2BA59.1.1.1.A&ly[rw]=TIME_PERIOD&ly[rs]=SEX_ABS
3 Government Schools: Funded Enrolment Projec ons 2023 – 2029, by State (SQ23‐000357 A achment B)
4 Improving Outcomes for All: The Report of the Independent Expert Panel’s Review to Inform a Be er and Fairer Educa on System, 2023, p.19
For a decade the Commonwealth Government has been derelict in its duty to ensure that students in Australia’s public schools have access to the buildings, and equipment and learning environments they need to thrive.
There are huge poten al educa onal, economic and societal benefits from inves ng in Australia’s public schools, and now is the me for the Commonwealth to even the playing field and fund public school infrastructure a er years of neglect. Temporary classrooms are being treated as a permanent solu on
In the AEU’s 2023 State of our Schools survey, four out of 10 principals said they did not have enough classroom space to meet enrolment demands over the next three to five years and that they required an addi onal five classrooms on average to meet demand. The result of this is a prolifera on of “demountable” classrooms in public schools. These are supposed to be temporary, but many remain in use for decades.
In NSW the number of demountable classrooms in public schools grew by 30 per cent between 2011 and 2022. Department of Educa on figures show there were 5,093 on school grounds in April 2022 – an average of 2.3 per school.5 In total, 12% of all NSW public school classrooms in 2020 were in demountable buildings and more than 2,000 demountable buildings were aged 20 years or older.6
In Victoria, Department of Educa on figures show there were 5,761 demountable buildings on the grounds of 1,130 public schools in August 2023. A total of 35 schools had 20 or more demountable classrooms and 137 had more than 10.7
The Commonwealth Government systema cally favours capital investment in private schools
The Commonwealth has a decade long $1.9 billion non‐government schools Capital Grants Program, which has provided $1.25 billion to private schools since 2017. The Program guidelines state that it is designed to “provide and improve school capital infrastructure, par cularly for the most educa onally disadvantaged students.”8 However, it has to date provided at least $42 million to schools in the top 15% of socio‐economic status, including $250,000 to Loreto Normanhurst which charges fees of over $31,000 per year and has annual income of $50.6 million per year, and $150,000 to Newington College which charges
5 NSW Department of Educa on, Government Informa on (Public Access) release 22‐01653, h ps://www.nsw .org.au/wp‐content/uploads/2023/03/GIPA‐22‐01653‐IR‐Released‐records.pdf
6 NSW Parliament, Por olio Commi ee No.3 – Educa on, Budget Es mates 2019‐20, Answers to Ques ons on No ce
7 Grace, R, “One Victorian school has 61 portable buildings. See how your school rates”, The Age, October 6, 2023 h ps://www.theage.com.au/na onal/victoria/one‐victorian‐school‐has‐61‐portable‐buildings‐see‐how‐your‐school‐rates‐20231003‐p5e9h7.html
8 Capital Grants Program Guidelines, h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/school‐funding/resources/capital‐grants‐program‐guidelines p.7
fees of over $42,000 per year, has annual income of $79.3 million and has assets of over $265 million.9,10
The School Upgrade Fund, the first Commonwealth capital works program for public schools in over a decade, is $216 million in 2023‐24 to provide new buildings and major facili es upgrades. However, this a single year, one‐off fund which is spread across more than twice as many schools than are eligible for the non‐government schools Capital Grants Program.
The inequity in capital funding is maintained by the Commonwealth’s abandonment of public schools
Over the decade from 2012 to 2021 capital investment in public schools averaged $1,110 per student per year, whilst in private schools the average was $2,401 per student per year – more than double. For public schools to match the total per student capital investment made in private schools over the decade, a total investment of $60.5 billion would have been required between 2012 and 2021. This is $31.8 billion more than was invested by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments combined over the decade.
For 2021 alone the gap in investment on a per student basis between public schools and private schools was $2.7 billion.
From 2012 to 2021 the Commonwealth provided $1.9 billion in capital funds for private schools, and the state and territory government have provided another $1.2 billion. An average of $310 million a year has been provided to private schools from government funds over the decade. Per student capital funding from governments to private schools has increased by nearly half (48%) in the five years from 2016 to 2021 alone.
Over the same five year period, Commonwealth capital funding to public schools had essen ally ceased. In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, South Australia (SA), Tasmania and Victoria, there was no ongoing Commonwealth capital funding for public schools in 2021. Only the Northern Territory (NT) receives substan al funding ($381 per student in 2021) and Western Australia (WA) receives a pi ance (just $23 per student in 2021).
Private schools reallocate recurrent income to capital works, o en in amounts matching their Commonwealth SRS funding
An analysis of income reallocated to capital projects by private schools shows that for a significant number of schools (many of them “elite” schools that charge up to $40,000 a year
9Loreto Normanhurst Limited, Annual Informa on Statement, Australian Charity and Not For Profits Commission, h ps://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/chari es/6f32e388‐38af‐e811‐a961‐000d3ad24182/documents/e1085552‐500a‐ee11‐8f6e‐00224893362a 10Loreto Normanhurst, 2023 School Fees, h ps:// ‐sta c‐ap‐1.s3.ap‐southeast‐2.amazonaws.com/loretonh/uploads/default/files/973_63ed599ccefd5.pdf & Newington College, Fee Schedule, h ps://www.newington.nsw.edu.au/admissions/fees/
in fees) the amounts reallocated from recurrent income to capital works programs are close to (or exceed) the total amounts that the school receives in government recurrent funding.
This transfer of recurrent funding to capital projects serves mul ple purposes for these schools. As fees alone exceed the educa onal requirements of their students, Commonwealth SRS contribu ons then func on as “free money” which then allows private schools to build ever more luxurious facili es, increasing demand for enrolments and allowing them to charge higher fees. All of this serves to increase the total wealth of schools that in many cases have hundreds of millions of dollars in liquid reserves and other assets.
The 50 private schools (including some of the wealthiest schools in the country) that reallocated the most from income to capital expenditure received a total of $941.1 million in recurrent SRS funding from the Commonwealth over the three years 2019‐21 and reallocated a total of $764.1 million — 81.2% of that income to capital works projects.
From 2019 to 2021 Independent schools reallocated over $1.5 billion from recurrent funding to capital projects, Catholic schools reallocated over $1 billion, while public schools reallocated a total of $20 million nationally.
Some private schools spend more on capital works than entire public school systems
In 2021, five individual private schools spent more on capital works ($175.6 million)11 than more than 50% of public schools in Australia combined ($175.4 million). These 3,372 public schools with the lowest capital expenditure educate 842,120 students. The five individual private schools educate a total of 10,294 students and outspend the bottom 50% of public schools by 82 times on a per student basis.
In 2021, Cranbrook School in NSW spent more on capital works alone ($63.48 million) for 1,599 students than 2,549 public schools across Australia spent on 472,169 students ($63.41 million) combined. Cranbrook School outspends these 2,549 public schools by 296 times on a per student basis. The amount spent by Cranbrook in 2021 is also more than the total public school capital expenditure of Tasmania and NT combined ($62.4 million) for 86,082 students in 2021. Cranbrook spends 55 times per student on capital works than NT and Tasmania on a per student basis.
In 2021, Loreto Normanhurst in NSW announced plans to spend $130 million on redevelopment and Barker College also in NSW, having already spent $40 million on a three storey indoor sports complex12 is now planning to spend an additional $150 million building a performing arts and exam centre, and an aquatic and tennis centre.13 Combined, these two schools alone are planning or have projects underway that exceed the total capital investment for all schools in Tasmania over the decade 2012‐2021 ($314.3 million).
11 Cranbrook School NSW spent $63.5 million, Loreto Mandeville Hall VIC spent $37.7 million, Barker College NSW spent $25.7 million, Abbotsleigh College NSW spent $25.1 million, and Caulfield Grammar in VIC spent $23.6 million on capital works in 2021
12 Australian Na onal Construc on Review, Barker College Rosewood Centre, h ps://issuu.com/ancr/docs/australian_na onal_construc on_re_777a69e3e6aa4b/s/11058780 13 NSW Government, Major Projects, No ce of Decision, Barker College, 20 December 2023, h ps://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?A achRef=SSD‐31822612%2120231220T033719.110%20GMT
In 2021, seven private schools spent more individually on capital works than was invested in all public schools in the Northern Territory in that year ($24.8 million).
Two private schools in NSW (Knox Grammar, and SHORE) spent a combined $222.9 million on capital works in the five‐year period 2017‐21. This is more than was spent on public school capital works in the entire state of Tasmania over that time ($186.6 million).
Two private schools in Victoria (Caulfield Grammar and Haileybury College) spent more on capital works ($391.8 million combined) over the decade 2012‐2021 than was invested in public schools in the entire state of Tasmania over the decade ($291.1 million)
Seven individual private schools (Caulfield Grammar, Cranbrook School, Knox Grammar, Haileybury College, Carey Baptist Grammar, Barker College and SHORE) spent the same amount on capital works ($1.26 billion) over the last decade as all 415 public schools in the ACT, NT and Tasmania combined.
Recommenda ons — how to give students the public schools they deserve
Despite the evidence that well‐built and maintained public schools are essen al educa onal and community assets, for over a decade public school students, teachers and communi es have been le to make do with inadequate learning environments.
Now is the me for the Commonwealth Government to address a decade of their neglect of public school infrastructure. There are reams of research that confirms the value of this capital investment in public schools for improving inclusion, student engagement, wellbeing and the academic results students achieve. Inves ng in public schools also has a mul tude of wider community, and ul mately societal, benefits.
To ensure that no student is le behind and no one is held back by the inac on of the Commonwealth when it comes to inves ng in schools, it is now impera ve that the Commonwealth act to address the capital investment divide that has existed between school sectors in this country for over a decade. The next Na onal Schools Reform Agreement (NSRA) and its accompanying bilateral funding agreements must include a commitment from the Commonwealth for substan al ongoing capital works funding to public schools in order to address the failure for the Commonwealth to invest in public schools between 2017 and 2022, and to ensure that public schools are able to plan improvements over the long term.
To do this the AEU recommends the Commonwealth take the following urgent steps:
1. Provide a significant and immediate injec on of capital investment to public schools in recogni on of, and par al rec fica on of, the billions of dollars lost through the abandonment of Commonwealth capital funding in 2017. This ini al investment should be at least $1.25 billion to match the investment made by the Commonwealth in the Non‐Government School Capital Building Program between 2017 and 2024;
2. Create a permanent Commonwealth capital fund of a minimum of $350 million per year indexed in line with rising costs and enrolments to ensure that all public schools have access to the funds they to provide adequate and safe 21st century learning environments;
3. Nego ate a joint commitment with state and territory governments to invest in new and upgraded public schools and facili es that ensures that Commonwealth capital funding for public schools triggers increased investment from all governments;
4. Ensure that all public schools have access to funds to priori se purpose‐built learning spaces and school facili es including modified bathrooms and playgrounds that are accessible for all students with disability; and
5. Work with and incen vise state and territory governments to ensure that all growth suburbs have public primary and secondary schools that are open and accessible when residents arrive.
The 2011 Review of School Funding found that “Student outcomes are strongly influenced by the design of learning spaces and the facili es in a school.”14 As outlined in the AEU’s blueprint for schools Inves ng in Australia’s Future, the public schools we need for the future are very different to the ones of the past. Twenty‐first century learning, with the focus on mee ng the diverse needs of students and equipping them with all with the knowledge, skills and capaci es required in society and the modern workforce, requires safe, high‐quality teaching and learning environments. According to the Commonwealth Department of Educa on, the quality of school facili es can influence student a endance, a ainment and behaviour and is “an important determinant of student outcomes”. The quality of facili es also has an impact on the “mo va on and ability of teachers to instruct their students successfully.”15
Schools need a mix of flexible learning spaces and tradi onal classrooms in buildings designed to be energy efficient with good ven la on, acous cs, and light. The capacity to fully u lise new technologies also needs to be reflected in design and construc on. Public schools are increasingly hubs for the community. The onsite inclusion of early learning facili es, space for allied health professionals and adult and community educa on increases the connec on between local communi es and schools. This is demonstrated by the recommenda on from the Expert Panel of the Review to Inform a Be er and Fairer Educa on System for the implementa on of “full service schools” which “strengthen links between schools and community and health services” and which will require substan al new school buildings and reconfigura on of exis ng buildings if these services are to be co‐located with schools.16
In addition, the recent release of the Independent Review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme recommended “increased interface” between the NDIS and schools, and the introduction of new “foundational supports” into schools for students with disability.17 However, significant questions remain about the role of schools in the “foundational supports” proposed by the review, for example, the co‐location of NDIS services with schools will require substantial additional school buildings and redevelopment of existing buildings to improve accessibility and will require a strong understanding of the resource implications of foundational supports for school staff, and how those supports would be integrated with the public school system.
14 Review of Funding for Schooling—Final Report, 2011, p.87
15 Department of Educa on, 2022‐2023 Budget Es mates Brief Oct/Nov 2022, p207, Released under FOI, April 2023 h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/about‐department/corporate‐repor ng/freedom‐informa on‐foi/foi‐disclosure‐log
16 Improving Outcomes for All: The Report of the Independent Expert Panel’s Review to Inform a Be er and Fairer Educa on System, 2023, p.19
17 Working together to deliver the NDIS: Independent Review into the Na onal Disability Insurance Scheme Final Report, 2023, p.5 & p.77
However, over the last decade infrastructure in Australia’s public schools has been steadily deteriora ng, and our current school building stock has a high prevalence of aging buildings with issues ranging from leaking roofs to unstable structures and inadequate facili es like science labs, libraries, and sports areas – all of which are essen al for holis c educa on. A guaranteed long term federally funded capital works package is required to provide much needed improvements to public schools and to build new schools in areas of rapid popula on growth.
This report will detail how for over a decade the Commonwealth government has been derelict in its duty to ensure that students in Australia’s public schools have access to the buildings, and equipment and learning environments they need to thrive. It will show how capital investment in Australia’s public schools has been erroneously and deliberately dismissed by successive Commonwealth Coali on governments from 2013 onwards as a state responsibility, and how capital funding programs that exclude public schools by design, in conjunc on with Commonwealth school funding se ngs that allow the mass realloca on of recurrent funding to capital works for private schools, have led to a situa on where the vast majority of Australia’s 6,700 public schools are in dire need of urgent capital improvement and investment for future student enrolment growth.
Finally, this report will detail the benefits, both educa onal and economic, for inves ng in Australia’s public schools, and will propose how the Commonwealth can address years of poli cal and fiscal neglect.
2. Popula on growth demands investment in public schools
Australia’s popula on, and in par cular the popula on of school age children, is projected to grow rapidly over the next 20 years. The Australian Bureau of Sta s cs projects that by 2042 there will be an addi onal 1.9 million children aged between 5 and 19 years in Australia, an increase of 38.2% from the current popula on of 5 million in that age range.18 Increasing public school enrolments are another compelling reason for this investment. Student numbers increased by 160,000 students between 2015 and 2022, and the Commonwealth is projec ng that will rise by a further 160,000 by 2029.19
Much of this growth will come in new suburban areas in the outer west of Melbourne and Sydney and in established regional areas such as the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, where new public schools are urgently required.20 Schools are not just buildings where students are taught, they are hubs that enrich their communi es and their contribu on to community
18 Australian Bureau of Sta s cs, Popula on Projec ons, Australia, 2017‐2066 ‐ h ps://explore.data.abs.gov.au/vis?tm=POP_PROJ_2011&pg=0&hc[dataflowId]=POP_PROJ_2011&df[ds]=PEO PLE_TOPICS&df[id]=POP_PROJ_2011&df[ag]=ABS&df[vs]=1.0.0&pd=2023%2C2042&dq=0.1%2B2%2B3.A15%2 BA10%2BA59.1.1.1.A&ly[rw]=TIME_PERIOD&ly[rs]=SEX_ABS
19 Government Schools: Funded Enrolment Projec ons 2023 – 2029, by State (SQ23‐000357 A achment B) 20Heagney‐Bayliss, M, The suburbs where the pandemic sparked a popula on boom, Sydney Morning Herald, 2023, h ps://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the‐suburbs‐where‐the‐pandemic‐sparked‐a‐popula on‐boom‐20230118‐p5cdgx.html
cohesion in growth areas where fostering community is o en delayed or ignored by developers and local authori es. In new growth residen al areas, schools boost the crea on of “bridging social capital ac vi es” described by Robert Putnam as those that “aim to develop inclusive rela onships between socially distant and diverse groups. These have the poten al to improve equity, enhance coopera on, spread and exchange informa on, and build trust horizontally, so that coali ons can be formed.”21 Building new public schools also creates “linking social capital” which emphasises the rela onships and opportuni es that might be formed between those resource or access to power and those with it, such as providing access to holis c health or support service networks to the families of children.22 Unfortunately, as detailed by recent reports, the importance of public schools to new communi es is not always considered when those communi es are planned.23
New schools, centred in their communi es can provide a sense of community, belonging and inclusion that is o en lacking on the fringes of Australia’s large ci es. These concepts are confirmed in a study by the UK Educa on Department in 2000, cited in Inves ng in Schools –
Funding the Future:
“Schools which were located in areas of high economic and social depriva on tended, on average, to be used more by the wider community. This was partly related to the fact that many of these areas were rela vely under‐provisioned, in terms of alterna ve resources, and so the school effec vely acted as a key public resource within the community. Related to this, schools tend to be ‘local’, which benefited those from poorer backgrounds, many of whom would be reliant on paying for public transport to a end alterna ve loca ons.”24
3. Temporary classrooms are not a permanent solu on
At the same me, public schools in inner metropolitan areas are o en forced to rely on outdated learning spaces and buildings that are o en unsafe and are not fit for current teaching and learning prac ses. When surging enrolments surpass no onal capacity state and territory governments are increasingly using temporary demountable buildings as a long‐term solu on to a lack of available classroom space.
In NSW the number of demountable classrooms in public schools grew by 30% between 2011 and 2022. Department of Educa on figures show there were 5,093 on school grounds in April 2022 – an average of 2.3 per school.25
21 Putnam, 2000, cited in Teo, I., Mitchell, P., van der Kleij, F., & Dabrowski, A. (2022). Schools as Community Hubs. Literature Review. Australian Council for Educa onal Research. h ps://doi.org/10.37517/978‐1‐74286‐684‐0 p.8
22 Krakauer et al., 2017, cited in Teo, I., Mitchell, P., van der Kleij, F., & Dabrowski, A. (2022). Schools as Community Hubs. Literature Review. Australian Council for Educa onal Research. h ps://doi.org/10.37517/978‐1‐74286‐684‐0 p.8
23 Grace, R., This new suburb is due to house 20,000 more people, but will only have one school, The Age, 2023. Arden redevelopment: Suburb to house 20,000 more people will only have one school (theage.com.au) 24 Rorris, A, Inves ng in Schools ‐ ‐Funding the Future, 2021 p.13
25 NSW Department of Educa on, Government Informa on (Public Access) release 22‐01653, h ps://www.nsw .org.au/wp‐content/uploads/2023/03/GIPA‐22‐01653‐IR‐Released‐records.pdf
In total, 12% of all NSW public school classrooms in 2020 were in demountable buildings and more than 2,000 demountable buildings were aged 20 years or older.26
In Victoria, Department of Educa on figures show there were 5,761 demountable buildings on the grounds of 1,130 public schools in August 2023. A total of 35 schools had 20 or more demountables and 137 had more than 10.27
These quotes from principals of metropolitan schools, from the 2023 State of Our Schools survey, demonstrate the urgency of a large scale program of capital works in metropolitan schools across Australia:
“We need a complete new build. Our entire school was built as temporary accommodation to accommodate the baby boom after WW2. The school contains a lot of asbestos so any works that need to be carried out carry a significant extra cost due to this. Our classrooms are small and not suited to contemporary practice. The large bitumen quadrangles are hot, ugly and dangerously in disrepair, and the costing for any major works has tripled since the pandemic. Our air conditioning is evaporative and completely inadequate.”
– Principal of an inner Brisbane primary school
“The school needs a permanent administra on office – we’ve been in a demountable administra on building for the past 19 years.”
– Principal from a Sydney primary school
“Over half of our classes are in a building which was built in 1965, about 20% are in demountables and the remaining are in a building which was built in 2000 ‐ however even this is not fit for purpose with 25 young adults in a class, barely fi ng into the very small sized rooms.”
‐ Principal from a Sydney secondary school
“I have 13 demountables on my site and 8 permanent classrooms – this is an ongoing thing with never an end in sight.”
‐ Principal from an inner Melbourne primary school
“We have demountable buildings that have been there for many, many years. These should be permanent buildings. Our office, library and canteen are also demountables and have been for over 30 years. Permanent quality buildings are a must.”
‐ Principal from a Sydney primary school
26 NSW Parliament, Por olio Commi ee No.3 – Educa on, Budget Es mates 2019‐20, Answers to Ques ons on No ce
27 Grace, R, ‘One Victorian school has 61 portable buildings. See how your school rates’, The Age, October 6, 2023 h ps://www.theage.com.au/na onal/victoria/one‐victorian‐school‐has‐61‐portable‐buildings‐see‐how‐your‐school‐rates‐20231003‐p5e9h7.html
In the AEU’s 2023 State of our Schools survey, four out of 10 principals said they did not have enough classroom space to meet enrolment demands over the next three to five years.
It is the Commonwealth that needs to take the lead on this na on‐building investment. Prior to 2017, capital funding for public schools was provided by the Commonwealth as part of its grants to state and territory governments.
Recognising the inequity in capital funding between public and private schools, the Albanese Government restored some capital funding for public schools in the 2023 Federal Budget. However, its $216 million commitment is only for one year, and is spread very thinly across the more than 6,700 public schools in Australia.
In 2011, the Review of School Funding recommended:
“An Australian Government capital funding stream for new schools will also enable the balanced development of new schools in new suburbs and towns, and facilitate co‐ordinated and efficient planning and support the appropriate expansion of exis ng schools.”28
The importance of consistent investment in school buildings was recognised by a 2004 report from the UK organisa on Building Futures which states that “transforma on in educa on has to be supported by facili es. For this to happen, school facili es are designed to be flexible; inspiring; suppor ve and involving.”29 The Inves ng in Schools – Funding the Future report also contains a full review of many interna onal studies that confirm that adequate and comfortable school buildings have a significant impact on learning outcomes.
In the 12 years since the review, the Commonwealth capital funding stream has not been forthcoming, and students and school communi es across the country con nue to be deprived of adequate and modern spaces for learning and teaching. In some growth suburbs, the development of new public schools has been so delayed that families have had no op on but to enrol their children in private schools. A one off fund of $216 million cannot come close to repairing more than a decade of neglect from the Commonwealth.
4. How the Commonwealth abandoned public school buildings and infrastructure
The 2011 Review of School Funding highlighted the inequity of capital resourcing in public and private schools and recommended the re‐establishment of a public school capital fund. Its final report stated:
“The panel is convinced that government schools need addi onal funding, and be er planning to bring their infrastructure up to a quality that at the very least enables them to effec vely compete with some non‐government schools. Rather than short‐term ini a ves, the Australian Government can best support this by extending the Capital Grants Program to the government sector.”30
28Review of Funding for Schooling—Final Report, p.186
29 CIBSE Schools Design Group, Engineering Sustainable Schools: Linking Design Quality and Educa on, 2011, p.4, h ps://issuu.com/peligroso/docs/cibsemagazine01
30 Review of Funding for Schooling—Final Report, p.99
Prior to 2017, capital funding for public schools was provided by the Commonwealth as part of its grants to state and territory governments. In 2017, then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and treasurer Sco Morrison ceased capital funding for public schools. The Turnbull Government also made the decision in 2017 to direct all Commonwealth funding for public schools towards its recurrent funding target of 20% of SRS, effec vely ending the combined stream of capital and recurrent funding that the Commonwealth had provided to public schools since 2009.
In the same amendment to the Educa on Act in September 2017, the Coali on confirmed that it would provide a minimum of 80% of the SRS to private schools (although actually funding more than $3 billion above this level) and, in addi on, increased funding to a long‐term Capital Grants Program (CGP) reserved for private schools to provide $1.9 billion to these schools from 2018 to 2027 for capital improvements to school buildings. The Commonwealth non‐government school Capital Grants Program has provided $912 million to private schools, many of which are already overfunded through payments above the mandated 80% of SRS whilst at the same me all Commonwealth capital funding for public schools has been withdrawn.31 Figures recently provided to Senate Es mates show private schools are forecast to receive an addi onal almost $1 billion in capital funding from the Commonwealth over the next four years (2024 to 2027).32
Although the Capital Grants Program (CGP) guidelines state that it is designed to “assist non‐government primary and secondary school communi es to improve capital infrastructure where they otherwise may not have access to sufficient capital resources”33 and the first objec ve listed for the CGP is to “provide and improve school capital infrastructure, par cularly for the most educa onally disadvantaged students”34 it has provided millions of dollars in funding to private schools in wealthy communi es. The CGP has to date provided at least $42 million dollars to schools in the top 15% of socio‐educa onal advantage. This includes $250,000 to Loreto Normanhurst which charges fees of over $31,000 per year and has annual income of $50.6 million per year, and $150,000 to Newington College which charges fees of over $42,000 per year, has annual income of $79.3 million and has assets of over $265 million.35,36 A list of schools in the top 15% for socio‐educa onal advantage that have received funding through the CGP is included at Appendix 1, which also shows that
31 h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/school‐funding/resources/capital‐grants‐program‐2020‐approved‐projects 32 Parliament of Australia, Standing Commi ee on Educa on and Employment, Senate Es mates, Ques on on No ce SQ23‐001123
33 Capital Grants Program Guidelines, h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/school‐funding/resources/capital‐grants‐program‐guidelines p.7
34 Capital Grants Program Guidelines, h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/school‐funding/resources/capital‐grants‐program‐guidelines p.7
35 h ps://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/chari es/6f32e388‐38af‐e811‐a961‐000d3ad24182/documents/e1085552‐500a‐ee11‐8f6e‐00224893362a
36Loreto Normanhurst Limited, Annual Informa on Statement, Australian Charity and Not For Profits Commission, h ps://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/chari es/6f32e388‐38af‐e811‐a961‐000d3ad24182/documents/e1085552‐500a‐ee11‐8f6e‐00224893362a & Newington College, Fee Schedule, h ps://www.newington.nsw.edu.au/admissions/fees/
some of this Commonwealth funding is being used by these schools to fund projects such as dance and drama and music studios, cafes, gyms and other luxury facili es.
The inequity of this funding alloca on was so stark that even the NSW Coali on Government protested in its 2017 submission to the Review to Achieve Educa onal Excellence in Australian Schools inquiry sta ng:
“Current Commonwealth funding arrangements provide recurrent funding to government and non‐government schools against the Schooling Resource Standard as well as capital funding to non‐government schools. NSW has significantly increased its capital commitment to all schools and the Commonwealth should also consider contribu ng to meet the future needs of communi es for schools.”37
The sole measure funded by the Coali on Government between 2017 and 2022 that could be seen to benefit public and private equally was the Local School Community Fund announced in the 2019 Federal Budget. In lieu of adequate capital works funding for public schools, the 2019‐20 budget included this small scale fund, nothing more than a headline and elec on bribe “to help local communi es fund school ac vi es and new equipment.”
The $30.2 million fund was distributed by local MPs to the tune of $200,000 per electorate, spent mainly on small scale play equipment, shade sails and furniture.
From the ny amount of funding announced, a one off fund of $30.2 million to cover every school across the country – a total of $21.8 million went to public schools at an average of just over $3,000 per school and less than $10 per child. In short, compared to the nearly $2 billion allocated to private school capital works the Local School Community Fund was en rely inadequate for public school student, teachers and communi es.
The cumula ve impact of the Coali on’s deliberate abandonment of public schools is clearly described by Rorris:
The shocking inequity of this Commonwealth gatekeeping means private schools have historically invested considerably more in facili es than public schools… during the first 6 years of the Coali on government (2013–18) the cumula ve Capital Investment Gap between private and public sectors was $21.5 billion. This is the value of investment that was deprived from public schools if they had received the equivalent per student investment as private schools.38
Although the Albanese Government has not en rely disregarded its responsibility for building and maintaining public school infrastructure as its coali on predecessors did, its one‐year Schools Upgrade Fund is lacking in that it seeks to apply a band aid to a long‐neglected problem. Rather than a single year fund, public schools need an immediate and significant na onal capital works investment of at least $1.25 billion (equal to what private schools have received from the Commonwealth over the last seven years) to allow public
37 NSW Department of Educa on, Submission to the Review to Achieve Educa onal Excellence in Australian Schools, 2017 nsw‐department‐of‐educa on.docx (live.com)
38 Rorris, A, How School Funding Fails Public Schools, How to Change for the Be er, 2023, p.4, h ps://www.aeufederal.org.au/applica on/files/3817/0018/3742/Rorris_FundingFailsPublicSchools.pdf
schools to catch up on the lack of investment over the last decade to allow them to undertake building work that is urgently required, followed by a guaranteed long term Commonwealth capital building fund of at least $350 million per year.
The only period for more than a decade when the Commonwealth Government made any real commitment to capital investment in public schools was during the three years of the Building the Educa on Revolu on program (BER) from 2010‐2012. The BER was a cornerstone of the Rudd Government’s Na on Building and Jobs Plan which was designed to s mulate economic growth in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. The objec ves of the BER program were to provide economic s mulus through the rapid construc on and refurbishment of school infrastructure and, second, to build learning environments to help children, families and communi es par cipate in ac vi es that will support achievement, develop learning poten al and bring communi es together.39 The program was comprised of three elements:
Primary Schools for the 21st Century, which initially provided $12.4 billion (later, $14.1 billion) for Australian primary schools to build iconic new facilities, such as libraries and multipurpose halls, or to upgrade existing facilities;
National School Pride, which provided $1.3 billion for minor capital works and refurbishment projects in all eligible Australian schools, to be completed by February 2010; and
Science and Language Centres, which initially provided $1 billion (later, $821.8 million) for construction of new, or refurbishment of existing, science laboratories or language learning centres in secondary schools.40
The scope of the BER was huge. It represented 31.3% of the total value of non‐residential building approvals over the year to February 2010 and doubled capital investment in primary schools.41 Although retrospectively maligned by conservatives seeking to divert attention away from their own failure to institute any national building programs of significance, it remains that the BER was a landmark for what the Commonwealth can achieve for school communities when enough political will is present.
39 Council of Australian Governments, 2009, Na onal Partnership Agreement on the Na on Building and Jobs Plan, Canberra
40 Auditor‐General Report No. 33 of 2009‐10, Building the Educa on Revolu on – Primary Schools for the 21st Century, h ps://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance‐audit/building‐the‐educa on‐revolu on‐primary‐schools‐the‐21st‐century
41 Auditor‐General Report No. 33 of 2009‐10, Building the Educa on Revolu on – Primary Schools for the 21st Century, h ps://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance‐audit/building‐the‐educa on‐revolu on‐primary‐schools‐the‐21st‐century
5. An ongoing “ra o of inequity” that leaves public schools struggling to meet demand
It has been more than a decade since the last BER project was built, and thousands of public primary and secondary schools across the country are now in cri cal need of improvement.
The $216 million announced for 2023‐24 to provide new buildings and major facili es upgrades for public schools announced in the October 2022 Budget was well overdue and is welcome. However, this single year Schools Upgrade Funding of $216 million for public schools is a one‐off fund spread across more than twice as many schools as are eligible for the non‐government Capital Grants Program.
The report Inves ng in Schools = Funding the Future42 provides analysis of a decade’s worth of data on the lack of capital investment in public schools, the previous Commonwealth Government’s overwhelming preference for capital investment in private schools and details the huge economic and societal returns that proper investment could deliver.
It calculates that the cumula ve impact of the Capital Investment Gap per student across the decade from 2009‐2018 is substan al and firmly entrenched. Over 10 years, the capital gap in funding between private schools and public schools is more than $12,450 per student. In the post‐BER period (2013‐18), public schools received in total nearly $8,800 less per student for capital investment than private schools.
This huge capital spending gap is labelled as a “ra o of inequity” by the report’s author, Rorris.43 Na onally, the ra o of inequity was above ‘2’ for every year except for the three BER years of investment in public schools. This means that in every year outside of 2010‐2012 capital investment in private schools has been at least double that in public schools. All years before and a er the BER program, have shown a ra o of inequity stretching from a best case scenario of 2.1 to as high as 3.7. In the report, Rorris describes the ra o of inequity of capital investment between private and public schools as “so extreme it is more a ra o of shame” and that “it frames the single failure of public policy to provide any semblance of balance in the provision of facili es across school sectors.”44
Over the decade from 2012 to 2021 capital investment in public schools averaged $1,110 per student per year, whilst in private schools the average was $2,401 per student per year – more than double. For public schools to match the total per student capital investment made in private schools over the decade, a total investment of $60.5 billion would have been required between 2012 and 2021. On a per student basis this is $31.8 billion more than was invested by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments combined over the decade.
42 Rorris, A., Inves ng in Schools = Funding the Future, 2021.
43 Ibid
44 Ibid
Table 1 Total addi onal capital investment required for public schools to meet private school per student capital funding 2012‐2021
ACT $ 204,469,196 NSW $ 9,914,294,125 NT $ 344,254,157 QLD $ 6,622,761,865 SA $ 2,171,720,320 TAS $ 830,596,101 VIC $ 9,431,938,726 WA $ 2,138,417,137 Australia $ 31,830,042,090
Figure 1 Average capital expenditure per student by school sector and jurisdic on 2012‐ 202145
45 All total, sector and per student funding amounts in this report are new calcula ons made by the AEU for this report, sourced from the ACARA Finance 2009‐2021 Dataset, available on request from h ps://acara.edu.au/contact‐us/acara‐data‐access. Due to the specialist nature of capital works required for special schools, these schools have been excluded from the analysis.
Figures 2 and 3 update the total per student amount of capital funding for public and private schools over a 13‐year period, and Figure 4 updates the “ra o of inequity” to 2021, the most recent year for which school funding data is available. Although the overall gap in the ra o has closed from 2 to 1.5 between 2018 and 2021, this is almost en rely the result of increased infrastructure improvements and new school buildings funded by some state governments. Apart from very small discrete programs aimed at encouraging on Country learning for First Na ons students in WA and the NT, there has been almost no Commonwealth capital works funding for public schools since 2017.
This inequity has been borne out through the surveys conducted by the AEU over several years. In the 2023 State of Our Schools Survey 19% of public school principals said that they did not have adequate classrooms to meet enrolment demand at their school and that they needed an addi onal 4.4 classrooms on average, 38% did not believe they would have adequate classrooms available in the next three to five years and required an addi onal 4.8 classrooms to be available to meet demand.
Figure 4:
When asked about specific aspects of their school’s infrastructure, principals reported the following:
55% said that the external maintenance of building at their school was inadequate
54% said that the internal maintenance of building at their school was inadequate
46% said that their school hall or gym could not accommodate current enrolments
49% said the number of bathrooms was inadequate and 61% said the quality of bathrooms was inadequate
47% said that science facilities at their school were inadequate
36% said playground equipment at their school was inadequate
36% said IT equipment at their school was inadequate.
6. Devolving responsibility to the states and territories lets the Commonwealth off the hook and exacerbates the capital funding divide
By leaving public school capital funding to state and territory governments since 2017, the Commonwealth has relinquished its ability to ensure that public schools across the country have equitable access to capital investment. Some states, such as Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are conduc ng large mul ‐year and mul ‐billion dollar school building and refurbishment programs, whereas poorer jurisdic ons such as Tasmania and the Northern Territory are severely lacking in investment. Further, many state based capital works programs are primarily focused on building new schools and provide lesser amounts for refurbishment of exis ng public schools.
The NSW government submission to the review to Inform and Be er and Fairer Educa on System clearly described the changing nature of schooling in Australia and the need for the Commonwealth to engage in a partnership with state and territory governments to meet increasing student need. The submission states:
“The number of students with addi onal learning and support needs across all school se ngs con nues to grow and many have more complex needs. Capital funding remains a crucial lever to facilitate such supports, in alignment with a key recommenda on from the Gonski Review. This must be considered in the next NSRA if we are to li outcomes and create inclusive educa onal environments for students with disability.”46
Analysing total capital investment on a per student basis at the state and territory level by school sector shows exactly why a joint commitment should be part of the next NSRA and demonstrates just how small of a dent much lauded school building and refurbishment programs make to public schools across the whole system. Across the 13 years between 2009 and 2021 included in this report there are only six instances across more than 100 data points where public schools received more capital works funding than private schools in any jurisdic on – in the ACT from 2009 to 2011, in WA and SA 2011 at the height of the BER investment and in QLD in 2012. Charts comparing public and private schools’ capital expenditure from 2009 to 2013 for all jurisdic ons are included at Appendix 1.
Applying the ra o of inequity at the jurisdic onal level shows how the BER succeeded in beginning to level the playing field during the period 2010 to 2012, how concurrent state/territory and Commonwealth Coali on Governments starved public schools of capital funds, and just how neglected public schools have been in some places.
46 NSW Department of Educa on, Submission, Review to Inform a Be er and Fairer Educa on System, August 2023 h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/review‐inform‐be er‐and‐fairer‐educa on‐system/consulta ons/review‐inform‐be er‐and‐fairer‐educa on‐system‐consulta on‐paper/submission/17619
Table 2 Ra o of per student capital works investment between private schools and public schools 2002‐2021
Table 1 shows how the ra o of inequity grew post BER so that by 2013 in every jurisdic on private schools were receiving more capital funding per student than public schools. The period 2013 to 2017 shows that in some states the ra o of private to public expenditure stretches well into double figures.
7. A tale of two sectors: Why state and territory capital investment alone is not enough
A comparison of the ra o of capital expenditure at the state level demonstrates the extent to which capital works funding varies state to state depending on the priori es and whims of individual state governments. Unlike with recurrent funding where there are bilateral agreements in place designed to ensure that funding targets (however weak) are met and maintained, capital funding for public schools is determined en rely by the state or territory government of the day.
Looking at the annual per student expenditure across all states and territories shows how Commonwealth and State and Territory policy has changed over the course of the last thirteen years and how these policies have resulted in the entrenched underfunding of capital works in public schools.
All jurisdic ons show a significant boost in capital investment in public schools during the BER years of 2010‐2012, and this is the only period where investment in public schools outpaced capital investment in private schools in any single jurisdic on. This period of growth was followed by a uniform trend of rapid decline between 2013 and 2017. From 2018, capital investment in public schools had started to recover somewhat, with the increase driven solely by significant state and territory government school building and refurbishment programs.
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
In 2012 private schools in Tasmania had nine mes the capital expenditure of public schools, and this swelled to almost 25 mes the investment in 2013, a year when public school students received only $66 each in capital investment. In Victoria the ra o was 4.4, 6.8 and 5.0 between 2014 and 2016.
Tasmania and Victoria are good examples of how investment in public schools can be all but eliminated by an indifferent state government, as is the case in Tasmania from 2012 onwards, and how large state level public school building and refurbishment programs largely fail to plug the gap caused by a lack of Commonwealth investment. The history of
capital investment (or lack thereof) in these two states demonstrates the extent of the imbalance between public and private school capital funding. In the decade from 2012 to 2021 Victorian public schools have received just 38.2% of the capital investment that private schools have made and in Tasmania public schools have received just over one quarter (26%) of private school capital investment.
Figure 5 shows how in Victoria, even with massive state government investment in capital works since 2017 including an addi onal $1.6 billion pledged in 2022, has not eliminated the ra o of inequity between private and public capital funding. A er reaching a low of $394 of capital expenditure per student in 2015, expenditure in public schools has recovered somewhat from 2018 to a peak of $1,699 in 2021, largely driven by new school construc on in outer suburban growth areas. This s ll pales in comparison to private school capital expenditure that is consistently around $3,000 per student each year – buoyed by an addi onal $450 million announced in the 2023‐24 Victorian State Budget to the $522 million already provided to private schools by the Victorian government from 2016 onwards through the Building Fund for Non‐Government Schools, which operated in addi on to the Commonwealth fund detailed above.47
Tasmania has had the lowest per student capital funding for over a decade since 2012 and provides a clear warning of how improvements to public schools can be abandoned when there is no impetus for the Commonwealth to act on capital funding inequity. Figure 7 shows how Tasmanian public schools received a large boost due to the BER in 2010 but investment since then has been abysmal. As detailed above, within two years private schools were making capital investments of almost 25 mes the amount that public schools were, and the ra o remains at almost five mes in the most recent available data from 2021.
The 2022‐23 Tasmanian State Budget included $250 million over the forward es mates for new school builds and redevelopment, however, a er more than a decade of abject neglect, public schools in Tasmania will require significant addi onal investment well beyond the four year me frame outlined by the government.48
However, as can be seen in Figures 7‐12 below, state and territory governments investments across all jurisdic ons have been nowhere near sufficient to close the gap between public and private schools.
47Victorian School Buildings Authority, Building Fund for Non‐Government Schools ‐ Independent , h ps://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/building‐fund‐non‐government‐schools‐independent 48 Jaensch, R. Delivering on School Infrastructure, Media Release, h ps://www.premier.tas.gov.au/budget_2022/budget_releases/delivering_on_school_infrastructure
$4,500
$4,000
$3,500
$3,000
$2,500
$2,000
$1,500
$1,000
$500
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021 $0
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
In 2011, public schools in WA received greater capital investment per student than private schools However, this declined quickly and by 2017 the ra o of inequity hit 2.5. Although the gap has closed somewhat in recent years, public schools spending per student has been, and is s ll, substan ally lower for every year from 2013 onwards. Over the last decade, per student capital investment in public schools has been 66.1% of private school capital investment.
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
In South Australia, from a peak of public school investment in 2010 and 2011 (when public schools invested more in capital works than private schools) there was a sudden and sustained drop in investment in public schools. From 2012 to 2017 the ra o of inequity peaked with private schools receiving 10 mes the capital investment that public schools did. The years 2018 to 2020 saw a small increase in public school investment and there has been a large increase in 2021, driven by the transfer of Year 7 from primary school to high school in South Australia. Over the last decade per student, capital investment in public schools has been 42.5% of private school capital investment.
Figure 10 Queensland Capital Expenditure per student 2009‐2021
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
BER investment in Queensland public schools pushed them above private schools in 2012. Then for the following five years, private schools’ capital investment remained between four to five mes that of public schools. In 2020 and 2021 public school investment increased due to a state government capital works program, but s ll at a level 30% below total capital investment in private schools.49 Over the last decade, per student capital investment in Queensland public schools has been 49.1% of private school capital investment.
49Queensland Government, spreadsheet available at h ps://qed.qld.gov.au/programsini a ves/educa on/Documents/advancing‐queensland‐state‐school‐capital‐works.pdf
Figure 11 Northern Territory Capital Expenditure per student 2009‐2021
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Following a BER investment peak similar in trajectory to other states and territories, capital investment in public schools in the Northern Territory fell sharply to a low of $442 per student in 2014, less than one fi h of capital investment in private schools. There was some improvement in 2018 and 2019, mainly from the commitment of the Commonwealth to improve school infrastructure in remote First Na ons communi es, but investment has declined significantly since then. Over the last decade, per student capital investment in NT public schools has been 49.9% of private school capital investment.
Figure 12 Australian Capital Territory Capital Expenditure per student 2009‐2021
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
The ACT is the only jurisdic on where capital investment in public schools exceeded private school per student investment for more than one year and the ACT has the lowest ra o of private / public investment over the past decade, peaking at 2.1 in 2017. Despite this, private school capital investment has exceeded public school investment every year since 2012 and over the last decade public schools have received only 74.5% of the investment that private schools in the ACT have.
8. Private schools have received consistent and significant capital funding from Commonwealth and state governments for many years
While public schools have been persistently underfunded in terms of capital investment by the Commonwealth since the closure of the BER, private schools across the country have received consistent ongoing capital investment from both state/territory and Commonwealth governments.
Over the last 13 years the Commonwealth has funded capital works in private schools to the tune of $7.6 billion and state/territory governments have provided them with $1.4 billion in capital funds — a total of $9 billion in public funding diverted to new buildings and refurbishment in private schools.
In the post BER decade of 2012‐2021 the Commonwealth has provided $1.9 billion in capital funds for private schools and state/territory governments have provided $1.2 billion.
Figure 13 Total combined government funding of private school capital works 2012‐21
Figure 14 % change in total combined government funding of private school capital works 2016‐2021 per student
Since 2017, when the Australian Educa on Act was amended to remove Commonwealth capital funding for public schools, government capital funding of private schools has increased by almost 50% on a per student basis.
In this me, $1.4 billion in combined government capital works funding has been delivered to private schools.
9. Public schools are le to languish by the Commonwealth
At the same me Commonwealth capital funding to public schools has been reduced to a ny amount delivered through specific programs in the NT and WA that aim to encourage learning on country for students in remote communi es. Table 2 shows the stark contrast between the BER years and the current absence of Commonwealth capital funding for public schools.
Figure 15 Commonwealth capital funding to private schools by state 2012‐2021 ($ millions)
10. Realloca on of recurrent income allows private schools to divert excess funding toward building projects
In addi on to the consistently generous capital funding that private schools receive from Commonwealth and state/territory governments, private schools also receive hundreds of millions of dollars a year above their recurrent funding levels as mandated by the SRS.
In 2023, private schools received $806 million from the Commonwealth over and above what the SRS dictated they should receive, and from 2023 to 2028 they will receive a total of $2.4 billion in Commonwealth funding more than their SRS recurrent funding en tlement.50
Recurrent overfunding of private schools allows them to transfer substan al amounts from the total pool of income towards capital projects. This point was raised by Emeritus Professor Barry McGaw, former Director of the OECD Directorate of Educa on at the Na onal Symposium on Funding, Equity and Achievement in Australian Schools in April 2023. The Symposium report states:
“The high levels of recurrent funding from all sources have allowed many private schools to allocate a substan al propor on of recurrent income to ‘current capital projects’ and to ‘future capital projects and diocesan capital funds’ – in many cases the amount of recurrent income allocated to capital is close to the amount of government recurrent grants.”51
This transfer from the total pool of recurrent funding to capital projects serves mul ple purposes for these schools. As fees alone more than cover the educa onal requirements of their students, other recurrent income then func ons as “free money” which then allows private schools to build ever more luxurious facili es, increasing demand for enrolments and allowing them to charge higher fees. All of this serves to increase the total wealth of schools that in many cases have hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves.52
An analysis of income reallocated to capital projects by private schools shows that for a significant number of schools (many of them “elite” schools that charge up to $40,000 a year in fees) the amounts reallocated from recurrent income to capital works programs are close to (or exceed) the total amounts that the school receives in government recurrent funding.
Table 3 below includes a list of the 50 schools that transferred the highest propor ons of their total recurrent income to building projects. Details of the wealth of many of the schools listed here has been previously reported, and Table 3 demonstrates that many of the richest private schools in Australia are frequently realloca ng amounts greater than their total commonwealth recurrent SRS funding to elaborate building projects.
50 Calculated from data provided in SQ23‐000357 A achment A and A achment B 51 Preston, B. Report on a na onal symposium Funding, Equity and Achievement in Australian Schools, 2023, p.9 52 Schneiders, B & Millar, R. “Australia’s top private schools are growing richer and faster than ever”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2021, h ps://www.smh.com.au/na onal/australia‐s‐top‐private‐schools‐are‐growing‐richer‐and‐faster‐than‐ever‐20210615‐p5814b.html
At the same me, public schools remain underfunded by more than $6 billion per year and for seven years now have had no significant Commonwealth funding for capital projects.
High on the list are some of the wealthiest private schools in the country — including Loreto Normanhurst, Loreto Kirribilli, Pymble Ladies’ College and SCEGGS in NSW, Loreto Mandeville Hall, Scotch College, Camberwell Grammar and Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Victoria, Somerville House and Brisbane Girls Grammar in Queensland, Westminster School in SA and St Mary’s, Scotch College and Christchurch College in WA.
Scots College in Sydney, part of the Presbyterian Church, has spent an estimated $80 million dollars to date converting its library into a still unfinished faux Scottish Baronial Castle which was officially opened by Prince Edward in November 2023.53 Part of the reason for the delay and escalating costs of the project was reportedly, the difficulty in sourcing the correct type of slate from Scotland.54 Over the three years from 2019 to 2021 The Scots College has reallocated $18.82 million from recurrent income to capital projects. It received $18.40 million in recurrent SRS funding from the Commonwealth in that time.55
These 50 private schools received a total of $941.1 million in recurrent SRS funding from the Commonwealth over the three years 2019‐21 and reallocated a total of $764.1 million — 81.2% of that income to capital works projects.
By comparison, over the same period the top 50 public schools in terms of reallocation of Commonwealth recurrent funding to capital projects spend a combined $5.8 million of $150.6 million SRS funding received on capital works – 3.9% of total income on average.
As shown in Figure 16, from 2019 to 2021 Independent schools reallocated over $1.5 billion from recurrent funding to capital projects in total, Catholic schools reallocated over $1 billion in total, while public schools reallocated a total of $20 million nationally.
53Benns, M. “Prince Edward to visit The Scots College, Sydney to unveil faux Sco sh castle”, The Daily Telegraph, 2023, h ps://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/prince‐edward‐to‐visit‐the‐scots‐college‐sydney‐to‐unveil‐faux‐sco sh‐castle/news‐story/f4754541b0dfd1cbfa6efd8b3ffc5d29
54 Napier‐Raman, K. & Towell, N. “Four years later, Scots College’s $29 million castle s ll hasn’t been built”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2023, h ps://www.smh.com.au/cbd/castle‐s‐s ll‐in‐the‐air‐for‐scots‐college‐20230913‐p5e4gk.html
55 Finance data sourced from h
ps://www.myschool.edu.au/school/43821/finances/2019
Independent, $1,501.8
Catholic, $1,033.2
Government, $19.7
11. Some private schools spend more on buildings than en re state and territory public school systems
This sec on provides comparisons between the total amount of capital investment made by some individual private schools with en re state or territory public school systems, and for low socio‐educa onal advantage public schools. The purpose of this comparison is to demonstrate the inequity of capital investment in Australian schools and to show the extent to which the divide has been exacerbated by consecu ve Commonwealth governments ignoring the needs of public school students and communi es.
A table including the capital expenditure of all private schools included in these comparisons, ranked by 2021 total capital expenditure, is at Appendix 2.
Private school and public system comparisons
In 2021, five individual private schools56 spent more on capital works ($175.6 million)57 than more than 50% of public schools in Australia combined ($175.4 million). These 3,372 public schools with the lowest capital expenditure educate 842,120 students. The five individual private schools educate a total of 10,294 students and outspend the bottom 50% of public schools by 82 times on a per student basis
In 2021, Cranbrook School in NSW spent more on capital works alone ($63.48 million) for 1,599 students than 2,549 public schools across Australia spent on 472,169 students ($63.41 million) combined. Cranbrook School outspends these 2,549 public schools by 296 times on a per student basis. The amount spent by Cranbrook in 2021 is also more than the total public school capital expenditure of Tasmania and NT combined ($62.4 million) for 86,082 students in 2021. Cranbrook spends 55 times per student on capital works than NT and Tasmania on a per student basis.
In 2021, Loreto Normanhurst in NSW announced plans to spend $130 million on redevelopment, and Barker College also in NSW, having already spent $40 million on a three storey indoor sports complex58 is now planning to spend an additional $150 million building a performing arts and exam centre, and an aquatic and tennis centre.59 Combined, these two schools alone are planning or have projects underway that exceed the total capital investment for all schools in Tasmania over the decade 2012‐2021 ($314.3 million).
In 2021, seven private schools spent more individually on capital works than was invested in all public schools in the Northern Territory in that year ($24.8 million)
Two private schools in NSW (Knox Grammar, and SHORE) spent a combined $222.9 million on capital works in the five‐year period 2017‐21. This is more than was spent on public school capital works in the entire state of Tasmania over that time ($186.6 million).
Two private schools in Victoria (Caulfield Grammar and Haileybury College) spent more on capital works ($391.8 million combined) over the decade 2012‐2021 than was invested in public schools in the entire state of Tasmania over the decade ($291.1 million)
Seven individual private schools (Caulfield Grammar, Cranbrook School, Knox Grammar, Haileybury College, Carey Baptist Grammar, Barker College and SHORE) spent the same amount on capital works ($1.26 billion) over the last decade as all 415 public schools in the ACT, NT and Tasmania.
56 Cranbrook School NSW spent $63.5 million, Loreto Mandeville Hall VIC spent $37.7 million, Barker College NSW spent $25.7 million, Abbotsleigh College NSW spent $25.1 million, and Caulfield Grammar in VIC spent $23.6 million on capital works in 2021.
57 Cranbrook School NSW spent $63.5 million, Loreto Mandeville Hall VIC spent $37.7 million, Barker College NSW spent $25.7 million, Abbotsleigh College NSW spent $25.1 million, and Caulfield Grammar in VIC spent $23.6 million on capital works in 2021
58 Australian Na onal Construc on Review, Barker College Rosewood Centre, h ps://issuu.com/ancr/docs/australian_na onal_construc on_re_777a69e3e6aa4b/s/11058780 59 NSW Government, Major Projects, No ce of Decision, Barker College, 20 December 2023, h ps://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?A achRef=SSD‐31822612%2120231220T033719.110%20GMT
Private school and low socio‐educa onal advantage public school comparisons 60
12 private schools spent more on capital works in 2021 alone ($371.5 million) that all lowest quartile ICSEA schools in the ACT, NT and TAS ($350.9 million) over the decade from 2012‐2021.
Three private schools spent more on capital works in 2021 ($ 134.7 million) than all 444 of the most socio‐educationally disadvantaged (lowest quartile ICSEA) public schools in ACT, NT, Tasmania and WA combined ($118.6 m).
Eight private schools spent more on capital works in 2021 ($275.1 million) than all public schools in the lowest ICSEA quartile in the ACT, NT, SA, Tasmania and WA combined ($264.4 million).
11 private schools in Victoria spent more on capital works ($572.9 million) than all 269 VIC public schools in the lowest ICSEA quartile over the three years 2019‐21 ($535.8 million).
21 Private schools in NSW spent more on capital works over the decade to 2021 ($2.27 billion) than 797of the most socio‐educationally disadvantaged public schools in NSW (lowest ICSEA quartile) ($2.24 billion).
10 private schools in SA spent more on capital works ($508.5 million) than all 155 lowest quartile ICSEA public schools SA combined ($478.7 m) in the decade to 2021.
12. Investment in public schools benefits students, communi es and the economy
There are a mul tude of economic benefits that come with building new public schools and improving exis ng schools. As detailed earlier in this report, thousands of public schools across the country need urgent improvement at the same me that their enrolments are increasing rapidly, and new schools are urgently required, par cularly in the popula on growth corridors of western Sydney and outer western Melbourne. Investment in these schools could accrue substan al immediate and ongoing benefits to students and school communi es.
Drawing on OECD research, Rorris concludes that capital investment in Australian public schools in the lowest SES quin le (accompanied by targeted increases in recurrent spending for students‐at risk of not a aining minimum learning outcomes) could help generate approximately $5.2 billion in addi onal growth every year over more than 80 years. More than $100 billion in economic benefits could be generated within 20 years.61
Rorris recommends a public school capital investment program of approximately $3.8 billion to rec fy the long term inequity in capital investment between sectors and uses ABS data30 on the average annual investment cost per job in the construc on industry to determine that such a program of capital investment in schools could sustain more than 37,000 addi onal construc on industry jobs every year.
60 ACARA, What Does the ICSEA Value Mean?, 2015, h ps://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/About_icsea_2014.pdf
61 Barre P, Davies F, Zhang Y, Barre L, The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holis c, mul ‐level analysis, Building and Environment (2015)
A recent report from the Centre for Future Work also found that there are substan al long term economic benefits to be made from inves ng in public schools and public school infrastructure. Whilst the report The Case for Inves ng in Public Schools: The Economic and Social Benefits of Public Schooling in Australia62 focused primarily on recurrent funding shor alls, and the benefit that mee ng the minimum SRS would provide, it also detailed how public educa on can be an important source of job crea on, economic ac vity, and capital in investment in Australia.
The report finds that improvements to the school environment such as be er physical stock and equipment, and other resource addi ons will enhance the quality of educa on, allow for more tailored supports for students who need them, and result in improved outcomes as measured by test scores and comple on rates.
The Centre for Future Work concludes that across the en re set of supply chain industries, some 29,244 jobs are supported by the ongoing supply purchases of the public school system and detail the cumula ve impact that inves ng in school buildings and refurbishments can have, sta ng that “this figure only includes first‐order impacts from the supply purchases of public schools. Since those supply industries will in turn make addi onal purchases from their own supply chains, the ul mate indirect impact of public school spending on the upstream supply chain will be even greater.”63 The report concludes by sta ng that:
“Par cular a en on must also be given to rural and remote capital works infrastructure, with a focus on mee ng the aspira ons and diverse needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, families and communi es living in remote and very remote loca ons. This requires fully equipped and resourced public educa on facili es in order to expand educa onal opportuni es and models of delivery.”
62 Li leton, E., MacDonald, F., & Stanford, J., The Case for Inves ng in Public Schools: The Economic and Social Benefits of Public Schooling in Australia, 2023, p.24. h ps://futurework.org.au/wp‐content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Economic‐and‐Social‐Benefits‐of‐Public‐Schools‐Aug2023‐FINAL.pdf
63 Li leton, E., MacDonald, F., & Stanford, J., The Case for Inves ng in Public Schools: The Economic and Social Benefits of Public Schooling in Australia, 2023, p.24. h ps://futurework.org.au/wp‐content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Economic‐and‐Social‐Benefits‐of‐Public‐Schools‐Aug2023‐FINAL.pdf
13. Conclusion — the way forward to give public schools students the schools they deserve
The data presented in this report shows the stark and shocking inequity of capital investment in Australia between individual schools and between sectors and school systems. A country where a single private school spends more in a year on buildings than an en re state’s public school system is the an thesis of the “be er and fairer educa on system” the Commonwealth insists it is trying to build.
“Public financial contribu ons for capital funding for new and expanded schools should be from a Commonwealth‐funded School Growth Fund, and be based on recommenda ons of the School Planning Authori es. They should take into account the public sector’s responsibili es and constraints, and the private sectors’ concomitant freedoms, and ensure that the quality of educa on in public schools and other exis ng schools in a locality is not undermined.”64
‐ Report of the Na onal Symposium on Funding, Equity and Achievement in Australian Schools 2023
Despite the evidence that well‐built and maintained public schools are essen al educa onal and community assets, for over a decade public school students, teachers and communi es have been le to make do with inadequate teaching and learning environments.
Now is the me for the Commonwealth Government to address a decade of neglect of public school infrastructure. There are reams of research that confirms the value of this capital investment in public schools for improving inclusion, student engagement, wellbeing and the academic results students achieve. Inves ng in public schools also had a mul tude of wider community, and ul mately societal, benefits.
Inves ng in the built environment of public schools would have huge poten al benefits for the learning outcomes of students, but also for the esteem of the sector. In order to ensure that no student is le behind and no one is held back by the inac on of the Commonwealth when it comes to inves ng in schools, it is now impera ve that the Commonwealth act to address the capital investment divide that has existed between school sectors in this country for over a decade.
To do this the AEU recommends the Commonwealth take the following urgent steps:
1. Provide a significant and immediate injection of capital investment of $1.25 billion to public schools to equal Commonwealth capital investment in private schools since 2017 and in recognition and partial rectification of, the billions of dollars lost through the abandonment of Commonwealth capital funding in 2017;
2. Create a permanent Commonwealth capital fund of a minimum of $350 million a year indexed in line with rising costs and enrolments to ensure that all public schools have access to the funds they to provide adequate and safe 21st century learning environments;
3. Negotiate a joint commitment in the bilateral funding agreements to be negotiated this year with state and territory governments to invest in new and upgraded public schools and facilities to ensure that Commonwealth capital funding for public schools also triggers increased investment from all governments;
4. Ensure that all public schools have access to funds to prioritise purpose‐built learning spaces and school facilities including modified bathrooms and playgrounds that are accessible for students with disability; and
5. Work with and incentivise state and territory governments to ensure that all growth suburbs have public primary and secondary schools that are open and accessible when residents arrive.
Appendix 1 Details of Individual schools funded through the Commonwealth Non‐Government Capital Grants Program
The Commonwealth private schools Capital Grants Program (CGP) is budgeted to provide $1.9 billion over the decade from 2018 to 2027. In 2023 it is budgeted to provide $215.8 million to Catholic and independent schools for capital works. The guidelines for the program state that “the CGP provides funding to assist non‐government primary and secondary school communi es to improve capital infrastructure where they otherwise may not have access to sufficient capital resources”65 and the first objec ve listed for the CGP is to “provide and improve school capital infrastructure, par cularly for the most educa onally disadvantaged students.”66
The table below shows schools that have an Index of Community Socio‐Educa onal Advantage (ICSEA) score above 1100 that have received grants from the CGP between 2019 and 2024. A score of 1100 places a school community in the top 15% of socio‐educa onally advantaged schools in the country. The program has to date provided at least $42 million to schools in the top 15% of socio‐economic status, including $250,000 to Loreto Normanhurst which charges fees of over $31,000 per year and has annual income of $50.6 million per year and $150,000 to Newington College which charges fees of over $42,000 per year, has annual income of $79.3 million and has assets of over $265 million.67,68
65 Capital Grants Program Guidelines, h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/school‐funding/resources/capital‐grants‐program‐guidelines p.7
66 Capital Grants Program Guidelines, h ps://www.educa on.gov.au/school‐funding/resources/capital‐grants‐program‐guidelines p.7
67 Loreto Normanhurst Limited, Annual Informa on Statement, Australian Charity and Not For Profits Commission, h ps://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/chari es/6f32e388‐38af‐e811‐a961‐000d3ad24182/documents/e1085552‐500a‐ee11‐8f6e‐00224893362a
68 Loreto Normanhurst, 2023 School Fees, h ps:// ‐sta c‐ap‐1.s3.ap‐southeast‐2.amazonaws.com/loretonh/uploads/default/files/973_63ed599ccefd5.pdf & Newington College, Fee Schedule, h ps://www.newington.nsw.edu.au/admissions/fees/
Year School name Loca onICSEA SectorGrant Project descrip on
2024 St Joseph’s Primary School ACT 1130 Cath $1 million Redevelopment of admin and staff facili es
Taqwa School ACT 1102 Ind $702,613 Construc on of an extension comprising two general learning areas, staff administra on room, storage and ameni es
St Mary’s Cathedral College NSW 1121 Cath $4.96 million Expansion of college facili es into a $100 million office block, including dance/fitness studios and flexible learning spaces
Sydney Montessori NSW 1105 Ind $950,000 Construc on of a two storey building comprising an art room, a music room, art studio/display space, music studio, storerooms, student ameni es, and li
Lourdes Hill College QLD 1115 Cath $1 million Conversion of six secondary general learning areas to primary general learning areas. Conversion of one secondary general learning area to primary mul purpose space
Fahan School TAS 1145 Ind $350,000 Refurbishment of senior boarding house and spor ng facili es
The Friends School TAS 1152 Ind $10,000 Update to exis ng master plan
Good News
Lutheran College
Harkaway Hills College
St Andrews Chris an College
VIC 1102 Ind $4 million Construc on of a two storey building, outdoor play area, installa on of a li
VIC 1146 Ind $900,000 Construc on of two classrooms, breakout rooms and veranda. Sealing of car park to meet condi ons of planning permit
VIC 1161 Ind $ 1 million Purchase of a block of land
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on
2023 Blue Gum Community School
Emmaus Chris an School
Barrenjoey Montessori School
ACT 1118 Ind $596,709 Refurbishment and extension of a secondary school building
ACT 1140 Ind $850,000 New arts facili es extension
NSW 1111 Ind $500,000 Construc on of modular first floor general learning area including student ameni es, staircase and li
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on
Korowal School NSW 1106 Ind $800,000 Refurbishment of exis ng school building to relocate Kindergarten and Year 1 classrooms, install operable walls to a central communal learning space, install operable glass walls to both classrooms
Lindisfarne
Anglican School
Samford Valley
Steiner School
NSW 1117 Ind $500,000 Construc on of two food technology learning areas and the refurbishment of an exis ng room to provide contemporary food technology and hospitality facili es
QLD 1104 Ind $1.26m Construc on of a car park, flexible learning areas, mee ng room and administra on area
Cornish College VIC 1121 Ind $1.25m Construc on of a science, technology, engineering and mathema cs centre including a maker space, outdoor learning areas, breakout area, storage and a digital technologies hub
Fitra Community
School
Harkaway Hills
College
North‐Eastern Montessori School
St Benedict’s School
2022 Emmaus Chris an School
Holy Trinity
Primary School
Trinity Chris an School
Mount St Benedict College
VIC 1110 Ind $960,000 Refurbishment of exis ng building to provide new student and staff ameni es and to create an extended kitchen area, storage spaces and new secure entry
VIC 1146 Ind $1.15m Construc on of three classrooms, under cro storage and workshop area, landscaping and li
VIC 1145 Ind $2m Construc on of a mul purpose hall comprising a large mul purpose space, a foyer, kitchene e, two music rooms, storage room, ameni es and associated paving and landscaping
WA 1137 Cath $183,000 Demoli on to suit proposed works, site clearance and earthworks, construct early childhood educa on pick up/drop off and entry statement and construct Alness Street pick up/drop off and entry statement
ACT 1140 Ind $1m Construc on of a new two storey building
ACT 1130 Cath $800,000 Construc on of a new classroom, breakout space, stairs, li and covered outdoor learning area
ACT 1139 Ind $800,000 Construc on of a new K‐12 performing arts centre, including an auditorium, foyer and kiosk, five general purpose learning areas, eight prac ce rooms, a staff office, storage and ameni es
NSW 1140 Cath $1.8m Conversion of former convent for administra on, mee ng rooms, mul ‐use technology and applied studios
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on
St Scholas ca’s
College
Green Point
Chris an College
Hills Adven st
College
NSW 1135 Cath $2.6m Construc on of library, mul purpose space, staff open plan area, offices and mee ng rooms, staff ameni es plus refurbishment of administra on areas
NSW 1107 Ind $690,000 Construc on of an administra on building comprising visitor and student recep on, sick bay, offices, mee ng rooms, staff room, ameni es and li
NSW 1137 Ind $750,000 Construc on of a building comprising five flexible general learning areas, admin area, two covered outdoor learning areas (COLAs) and covered walkways
Kinma School NSW 1110 Ind $450,000 Refurbishment of two exis ng buildings to provide an open learning area, cooking facili es, student ameni es
Macarthur
Anglican School
Brisbane
Montessori School
Prince of Peace Lutheran College
Sunrise Chris an School
NSW 1122 Ind $500,000 Redesign and refurbishment of four general primary learning areas, four collabora ve learning spaces and two outdoor learning areas
QLD 1174 Ind $20,000 Development of a master plan
QLD 1114 Ind $20,000 Development of a master plan
SA 1136 Ind $450,000 Construc on of a covered outdoor learning area (COLA) over exis ng hardcourt and a canopy over a new sea ng area
The Co age School TAS 1126 Ind $427,000 Construc on of a replacement general learning area with the addi on of a roo op garden and play area
Sacred Heart Girls
College
VIC 1102 Cath $1.5m Extension to exis ng general learning building to include a new student wellbeing centre, four new general learning areas, two open general learning areas and offices
Erasmus School VIC 1212 Ind $700,000 Par al demoli on and redevelopment of an exis ng classroom building, construc on of seven new general learning areas and new outdoor learning spaces, installa on of a li
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Primary
School
VIC 1147 Ind $2m Extension of the senior learning building to create four new general learning areas, construc on of a new three‐storey middle primary building comprising general learning areas, collabora ve zones, crea ve workspaces, staff workspaces, mee ng and learning support rooms and ameni es
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on
St Andrew’s
Chris an College
2021 Bluegum
Community School
Burgmann
Anglican School
Emmaus Chris an School
Holy Trinity
Primary School
Holy Cross Catholic
Primary School
Marist Sisters’
College Woolwich
VIC 1161 Ind $1m Construc on of a new building, comprising school entry and recep on area, staff room and administra on offices, learning areas for science, technology, engineering and mathema cs, robo cs and media and student ameni es
ACT 1118 Ind $499,952 Construc on of a secondary school science laboratory and photography darkroom
ACT 1163 Ind $1m Construc on of a two‐storey middle school design hub to create mul ple classrooms and flexible teaching spaces for design, art, music and technology
ACT 1140 Ind $986,600 Refurbishment of three upper level primary school classrooms, extension to create new open learning spaces, and two new junior ameni es blocks
ACT 1130 Ind $585,722 Refurbishment of three upper‐level classrooms and one ground floor classroom
NSW 1168 Cath $1.36m Refurbishment of classrooms, library, breakout spaces, student ameni es, service areas and circula on, construc on of breakout spaces and circula on including li and stairs
NSW 1101 Cath $4.2m Construc on of mul purpose hall including personal development, health and physical educa on spaces, student ameni es, storage, and service areas, and construc on of general and specialised learning spaces, comprising classrooms, seminar rooms, science laboratories, prepara on rooms, storage and associated circula on St Thomas’ Catholic Primary
School
Emmanuel Anglican College
Macarthur
Anglican School
St George
Chris an School
NSW 1174 Cath $1.5m Refurbishment of general learning areas including classrooms, library space, covered outdoor learning, and staff and student ameni es, storage, and associated circula on
NSW 1114 Ind $650,000 Construc on of two general learning areas, a flexible learning area and a covered outdoor learning space
NSW 1122 Ind $500,000 Refurbishment of a building to provide six general learning areas, a flexible learning area and storeroom
NSW 1155 Ind $900,000 Construc on of new three storey middle/senior school facility comprising a large wood tech workshop and associated storage space, senior school administra on and professional learning space,
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on staffroom, staff kitchen, two general learning areas, student support office and mee ng rooms, staff and student ameni es
The Armidale School
The McDonald School
The Riverina Anglican School
Hillcrest Chris an College
Gippsland
Grammar School
NSW 1106 Ind $600,000 Refurbishment of a science building to include three science labs, two mul ‐purpose science labs, a prep room, storeroom, student ameni es and a li
NSW 1111 Ind $300,000 Refurbishment of student ameni es, four general learning areas, one visual arts room, staff offices, storeroom and outdoor play area for K‐Year 2 students
NSW 1100 Ind $900,000 Construc on of junior school building.
QLD 1107 Ind $11,143 Development of a master plan
VIC 1109 Ind $2m Construc on of Stage 1 of a visual arts and technology centre to include materials technology room, wood technology room, five studios, four storerooms, three staff spaces, ameni es, courtyard and site works
Harkaway Hills
College
Oxley Chris an College
VIC 1146 Ind $830,000 Construc on of three classrooms, two breakout rooms, two mentor rooms and three storage rooms
VIC 1111 Ind $1m Construc on of Stage 2 of the middle school building to include 12 general learning areas, wellbeing wing consis ng of counselling and support spaces, staff offices, mee ng room, kitchene e, ameni es, installa on of a li and site works
Woodleigh School VIC 1111Ind$2mConstruc on of Homestead Four to include three secondary classrooms, staff office, mee ng space, student common area, outdoor pavilion and adjoining kitchene e
2020 Emmaus Chris an School
ACT 1140 Ind $982,147 Refurbishment and extension of exis ng Kindergarten and Year 1 classroom block, including four classrooms, crea on of new breakout spaces, ameni es and external deck area
Taqwa School ACT 1102 Ind $396,742 Construc on of new modular buildings and a mul purpose hall
Rosebank College NSW 1108 Ind $2m Construc on of an elevated learning block
Central Coast
Grammar
NSW 1154 Ind $2m Refurbishment and reconfigura on of infants block to senior college facility with administra on, Year 12 common room and student
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on areas, staffroom and five general learning areas. Purchase and installa on of furniture
Emmanuel College NSW 1114 Ind $500,000 Refurbishment of exis ng small art/tex le/technology block to create two new art classrooms, an exhibi on space and storage area, construc on of new home economics kitchen, theory classroom and ea ng areas
Lindisfarne
Anglican School
NSW 1117 Ind $550,000 Construc on of a single storey Kindergarten facility comprising three general learning areas, three learning support rooms, veranda, storage area and student and accessible ameni es
Our Lady of Mercy NSW 1110 Ind $500,000 Construc on of a four‐story building comprising nine general learning areas, an open collabora ve learning area, a mul purpose/auditorium, under cro and student ameni es
St George
Chris an School
Wahroonga
Adven st School
NSW 1155 Ind $690,000 Construc on of levels 2 and 3 on the top of an exis ng two‐storey Facility, including eight general learning spaces, three breakout spaces, staff administra on space including mee ng and collabora ve rooms, student and staff ameni es and li access
NSW 1154 Ind $250,000 Fit out of general learning areas and a shared space
Dara School SA 1170 Ind $5,000 Development of a master plan
Harkaway Hills
College
St Andrews
Chris an College
2019 Lindisfarne
Anglican School
Loreto
Normanhurst
VIC 1146 Ind $650,000 Construc on of three classrooms, covered playground, netball court and site works
VIC 1161 Ind $200,000 Fit out of lower ground level of the middle school classroom building to create four general learning areas, two small learning areas, open learning space, student locker area, plant room and site works
NSW 1117Ind$6mNew buildings with classroom and collabora on space, outdoor learning spaces and plaza
NSW 1156 Ind $250,000 Support room, installa on of a li
Newington College NSW 1168 Ind $150,000 Provision of li s in the school sports centre and ramps to the school hall
St Scholas ca’s
College
NSW 1135 Cath $3.6m Construc on of general and specialised learning spaces for art, music and drama, as well as change rooms, a canteen, stairs, storage areas
Year School name Loca on ICSEA Sector Grant Project descrip on and walkways. Refurbishment to include general and specialised learning areas for music, dance and drama, technical and applied sciences areas, science laboratories and prepara on rooms, fitness area, canteen and other student ameni es, stairs, walkways
St George
Chris an School
McAuley
Community School
Alphington
Grammar School
NSW 1155 Ind $500,000 Construc on of a two‐storey building comprising five general learning areas, two science laboratories, two visual arts rooms, breakout areas, a mul purpose sports court and student ameni es. Refurbishment of one general learning area, a science laboratory and performing arts room
SA 1100 Ind $8m Conversion of a middle school into a primary school
VIC 1140 Ind $825,000 Refurbishment of exis ng facili es to create a library/educa onal resource centre
Appendix 2: Private schools with the highest capital expenditure ranked by 2021 total
School State 2012‐21 Capital Expenditure 2019‐21 Capital Expenditure 2021 Capital Expenditure
Cranbrook School NSW $ 191,998,559 $ 114,638,639 $ 63,479,932
Loreto Mandeville Hall VIC $ 104,567,970 $ 58,388,649 $ 37,668,871 Mount St Joseph Milperra NSW $ 58,721,604 $ 48,018,613 $ 33,578,366 St Paul's College VIC $ 69,304,628 $ 68,554,381 $ 30,554,000 St Catherine's School NSW $ 78,247,932 $ 60,554,246 $ 29,073,837 St Matthews Catholic School NSW $ 36,066,129 $ 33,017,406 $ 28,628,683
Holy Cross College NSW $ 41,067,342 $ 28,550,239 $ 26,423,701 Barker College NSW $ 160,186,053 $ 93,376,842 $ 25,746,025 Abbotsleigh NSW $ 102,995,652 $ 42,937,785 $ 25,116,287 Beaconhills College VIC $ 92,719,959 $ 56,561,184 $ 24,330,257 Caulfield Grammar School VIC $ 214,424,363 $ 78,585,962 $ 23,571,971 Loreto Kirribilli NSW $ 43,745,060 $ 29,694,693 $ 23,362,205 Ivanhoe Grammar School VIC $ 145,413,006 $ 61,060,193 $ 23,274,410 Meriden School NSW $ 78,609,647 $ 39,073,731 $ 23,236,581 Nazareth Catholic College SA $ 51,162,529 $ 37,130,684 $ 23,231,674 Korowa Anglican Girls' School VIC $ 52,840,366 $ 37,193,976 $ 23,137,662
Iona College QLD $ 67,001,068 $ 31,512,213 $ 20,458,498 Ascham School NSW $ 90,232,704 $ 37,545,462 $ 19,348,010 Arethusa College QLD $ 41,447,042 $ 24,280,459 $ 18,426,481 St Joseph's College NSW $ 68,991,236 $ 31,301,253 $ 18,271,244 The Scots College NSW $ 107,351,884 $ 36,396,510 $ 18,152,924 Trinity Catholic College NSW $ 39,065,379 $ 35,345,144 $ 18,007,727 Hume Anglican Grammar VIC $ 70,594,830 $ 67,159,060 $ 17,988,213 St James College QLD $ 28,508,906 $ 19,615,007 $ 17,712,515 Islamic College of Brisbane QLD $ 40,729,487 $ 34,103,457 $ 17,297,906
Haileybury College VIC $ 177,381,992 $ 57,526,510 $ 16,979,239 Brisbane Grammar School QLD $ 44,042,773 $ 22,445,754 $ 16,311,058 Ballarat Clarendon College VIC $ 71,275,944 $ 23,435,684 $ 16,090,610
St Joseph's College VIC $ 28,896,037 $ 20,542,992 $ 15,953,723 Canberra Grammar School ACT $ 70,815,521 $ 35,737,338 $ 15,854,700
Australian Islamic College (Kewdale) WA $ 40,986,758 $ 30,477,575 $ 15,562,879
Iona College Geelong VIC $ 43,923,743 $ 43,923,743 $ 15,282,334 Donvale Christian College VIC $ 54,628,234 $ 30,551,954 $ 15,205,996 Al‐Faisal College ‐ Liverpool NSW $ 38,559,682 $ 26,839,644 $ 15,204,502
School State 2012‐21 Capital Expenditure
St Anthony of Padua Catholic College
2019‐21 Capital Expenditure
2021 Capital Expenditure
NSW $ 41,445,200 $ 28,049,420 $ 14,156,250 Scotch College SA $ 33,244,728 $ 22,168,918 $ 14,050,245 All Hallows' School QLD $ 100,042,338 $ 24,585,662 $ 13,555,358 Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College
NSW $ 55,718,858 $ 20,486,617 $ 13,511,102 Trinity Grammar School NSW $ 93,468,342 $ 27,766,429 $ 13,483,949 Fintona Girls' School VIC $ 26,332,831 $ 13,840,613 $ 13,189,064 King's Christian College QLD $ 98,102,596 $ 44,320,164 $ 13,113,764 MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter QLD $ 37,174,640 $ 29,486,253 $ 12,963,543 Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School
NSW $ 12,706,701 $ 12,706,701 $ 12,706,701
NSW $ 31,095,012 $ 19,223,217 $ 12,782,393 Catherine McAuley Catholic College
Westminster School SA $ 51,344,685 $ 38,666,973 $ 12,626,483 St Francis Catholic College
NSW $ 47,232,378 $ 33,370,904 $ 12,355,952
John XXIII College WA $ 43,976,538 $ 21,172,596 $ 12,310,625 St Patrick's College Sutherland
St Scholastica's College Glebe Point
NSW $ 33,843,187 $ 23,855,379 $ 12,091,086
NSW $ 29,777,493 $ 19,064,525 $ 12,058,025
St Dominic's College NSW $ 29,045,984 $ 15,472,738 $ 11,801,758 St Gabriel's School for students with special needs
NSW $ 16,683,001 $ 14,710,583 $ 11,776,980
St Peter's College SA $ 62,083,760 $ 19,766,059 $ 11,561,238 Parade College VIC $ 48,873,956 $ 25,429,224 $ 11,558,831 St Peter's College VIC $ 67,855,171 $ 26,985,936 $ 11,471,578 Padua College QLD $ 31,090,592 $ 14,743,412 $ 11,231,543 Macarthur Anglican School
NSW $ 18,347,404 $ 16,263,070 $ 11,118,715 Al Noori Muslim School NSW $ 60,768,462 $ 26,582,689 $ 11,055,710 Tara Anglican School for Girls NSW $ 29,665,917 $ 14,676,427 $ 10,991,786 Southern Cross Grammar VIC $ 26,598,994 $ 13,004,672 $ 10,948,739 Bacchus Marsh Grammar VIC $ 91,945,392 $ 31,950,041 $ 10,835,762 Cardijn College SA $ 31,457,916 $ 21,438,625 $ 10,762,994 Lauriston Girls' School VIC $ 40,237,657 $ 33,201,068 $ 10,730,356 Caroline Chisholm Catholic College VIC $ 54,166,395 $ 20,649,175 $ 10,536,852 Firbank Grammar School VIC $ 67,761,041 $ 25,870,888 $ 10,519,114 Gilroy Catholic College NSW $ 36,180,340 $ 22,866,207 $ 10,475,981
School State 2012‐21 Capital Expenditure
Anglican Church Grammar School
St Luke's Catholic College (Secondary)
2019‐21 Capital Expenditure
2021 Capital Expenditure
QLD $ 93,012,809 $ 31,724,105 $ 10,455,399
NSW $ 30,480,829 $ 27,444,395 $ 10,370,185
Norwest Christian College NSW $ 20,413,215 $ 13,131,043 $ 10,255,663 St Andrews Lutheran College
QLD $ 40,498,519 $ 15,208,031 $ 10,225,965
Ballarat Grammar VIC $ 44,155,207 $ 16,955,336 $ 10,200,983
Siena College Ltd VIC $ 29,853,478 $ 13,164,435 $ 10,190,474 Mount Alvernia College QLD $ 43,736,462 $ 12,132,147 $ 10,150,839 Padua College VIC $ 53,527,533 $ 23,131,512 $ 10,085,522 Richard Johnson Anglican School NSW $ 40,819,856 $ 16,991,058 $ 9,862,082
Quinns Baptist College WA $ 14,020,173 $ 11,662,082 $ 9,715,114 Scotch College VIC $ 129,451,029 $ 43,744,069 $ 9,532,444 Waverley Christian College VIC $ 42,143,709 $ 18,988,626 $ 9,522,589
Queenwood NSW $ 41,735,673 $ 28,556,810 $ 9,333,606 William Clarke College NSW $ 59,524,172 $ 34,763,431 $ 9,298,850 Groves Christian College QLD $ 40,096,333 $ 17,135,502 $ 9,205,877 Emmanuel Anglican College NSW $ 27,925,986 $ 15,946,566 $ 9,175,285
Saint Ignatius' College SA $ 44,621,713 $ 10,453,086 $ 9,036,500 St Bede's Catholic College NSW $ 26,636,815 $ 20,807,449 $ 8,902,215 St Clare's College ACT $ 28,153,479 $ 12,227,907 $ 8,862,457 Al‐Faisal College NSW $ 80,215,779 $ 32,731,554 $ 8,844,562 Star of the Sea College VIC $ 24,042,364 $ 10,537,213 $ 8,827,941 Overnewton Anglican Community College
VIC $ 42,026,800 $ 27,714,711 $ 8,797,345 Emmanuel College VIC $ 65,049,721 $ 34,535,445 $ 8,719,409 Matthew Flinders Anglican College
NSW $ 28,833,065 $ 18,449,542 $ 8,541,257
QLD $ 55,102,911 $ 27,140,411 $ 8,594,137 Australian Islamic College of Sydney
Ilim College VIC $ 41,242,552 $ 24,955,843 $ 8,503,433 Australian Christian College ‐ Marsden Park
NSW $ 10,490,541 $ 8,871,117 $ 8,496,967 Oakhill College NSW $ 26,785,828 $ 10,993,113 $ 8,441,860 Saint Ignatius College Geelong VIC $ 39,185,253 $ 21,561,227 $ 8,433,819 Scotch College WA $ 81,950,976 $ 27,489,943 $ 8,230,871 Knox Grammar School NSW $ 191,110,123 $ 43,009,911 $ 8,229,542 Brisbane Girls Grammar School QLD $ 75,098,468 $ 40,014,265 $ 8,194,733
School State 2012‐21 Capital Expenditure
2019‐21 Capital Expenditure
2021 Capital Expenditure
St Monica's College VIC $ 42,061,207 $ 19,205,735 $ 8,172,911 Assumption College VIC $ 41,863,507 $ 14,156,396 $ 8,116,116 St Peters Lutheran College QLD $ 57,769,214 $ 16,561,415 $ 8,060,802