To assert Western Australian public schools will be fully funded by 2026 is simply not true

‘To ensure all children receive a quality education … funding shares have to be negotiated, hopefully in good faith rather than in a cynical game of pass the parcel.’ Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

The new school funding agreement between the Albanese and Western Australian governments is a significant step forward for the funding of public schools. It has several positives but the claim that WA public schools will be fully funded by 2026 is simply untrue. Public schools will be under-funded by about $1.6bn over the next five years.

There are some strong positives in the agreement. The Albanese government has broken with the arbitrary limit placed on Commonwealth funding of public schools by the Turnbull government. The Commonwealth is no longer restricted to funding only 20% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) of public schools and has agreed to put in an extra 2.5% in this agreement.