The WA electorates where private schools are fronting the fight against funding cuts

February 26, 2025 journo

Private schools across two West Australian federal electorates will take centre stage in a national campaign to stop funding cuts and end the “blame game” that “pits school sectors against each other”.

Nearly 80,000 students and their families are enrolled in independent schools across the state – 16,385 of those students are at the 24 independent schools in Tangney and Curtin alone.

At Parliament House on Thursday, Independent Schools Australia named the two seats in a list of 17 nationally with a significant proportion of independent school families living within their boundaries.

They will become the focus areas for a new federal election campaign – School Choice Counts.

The campaign has five key policy asks for the next federal government, including ending any planned cuts to the sector’s Commonwealth funding and – the big ticket item – a $50 million “innovation fund”.

The fund would encourage the sharing of resources between independent, Catholic and government schools to deliver better student outcomes.

The group’s chief executive Graham Catt said the campaign would be a call to arms for parents and teachers.

“They are saying enough is enough. That families who choose independent schools deserve fairness. Children are not political footballs,” he said.

“Families make sacrifices every day to give their children the best start in life. They should not be publicly vilified or penalised for choosing an independent school.

“This election, we are standing up for the students, parents, and communities who are being targeted by misleading rhetoric and threats of policy changes that could drive up school fees and limit school choice.”

Catt is referring to the 42 Perth schools (and 299 nationally) that will face annual cash cuts as the federal government attempts to reduce payments to “overfunded” institutions by 2029.

School Choice Counts – The 5 key policy priorities

Protecting family choice: We call for stable, predictable federal funding that keeps school fees affordable.We urge all parties to rule out funding cuts that could limit family choice.
Ending the blame game: A commitment to cross-sector collaboration to address shared challenges. A national campaign to promote understanding of how Australia’s education system worksand the critical role of all school sectors.
Supporting vulnerable students: We advocate for fair and adequate funding for schools serving vulnerable communities. We need to ensure there’s a ‘safety net’ to guarantee our most disadvantaged students, and the schools that support them, receive the resources they need.
Investing in cross-sector innovation: A $50 million cross-sectoral innovation fund to share and scale solutions to our current and future challenges. Support for collaboration between Independent, government, and Catholic schools.
Building choice into the future: Increased funding for the Capital Grants Program to help schools expand their capacity. Adjusted regional loadings that will support schools in rural and remote areas.

It is a statement that has been argued by Save Our Schools national convenor Trevor Cobbold, who said the claims private schools would lose funding were “vastly exaggerated”.

Education Minister Jason Clare said non-government schools were funded at the level they should be.

“Under Labor that’s guaranteed,” he said. “The problem is public schools aren’t.”

Catt said the campaign would send a clear message to politicians, starting with a targeted advertising campaign in the 17 selected seats.

Focus on the strategically selected seats comes after the group’s more than 20 one-on-one meetings with senior politicians, including Clare and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

“This election, we will make sure every independent school parent knows who supports them – and who wants to make their child’s education more expensive,” Catt said.

“This election, politicians will have to decide whether they stand with families or against them.”

with Bridie Smith

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