ANTHONY ALBANESE MP
PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA

CHRIS MINNS MP
PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES

JASON CLARE MP
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION

PRUE CAR MP
DEPUTY PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND EARLY LEARNING

The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments have reached an Agreement to fully and fairly fund New South Wales public schools.
 
As part of the Heads of Agreements signed today, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to New South Wales.
 
This will lift the Commonwealth contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034 and follows New South Wales delivering its election commitment to reach 75 per cent of the SRS in 2025, two years ahead of the former Liberal National Government.
 
This will see an estimated $4.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to New South Wales public schools over the next 10 years.

This represents the biggest ever new investment in New South Wales public schools by the Australian Government.
 
New South Wales has also committed to removing the 4 per cent provision of indirect school costs such as capital depreciation so that New South Wales schools will be fully funded over the life of the Agreement.
 
Commonwealth funding will be tied to the reforms needed to lift education standards across the country, including more individualised support for students, continuing evidence-based teaching practices, and more mental health and wellbeing support for schools.

This is not a blank cheque. The Agreement will be accompanied by a New South Wales Bilateral Agreement, which ties funding to reforms that will help students catch up, keep up and finish school, such as: 

• Year 1 phonics and early years of schooling numeracy checks to identify students who need additional help;
• evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind;
• initiatives that support wellbeing for learning – including greater access to mental health professionals;
• access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning, and
• initiatives that improve the attraction and retention of teachers.

In addition to these reforms, the Agreements have national targets that complement the New South Wales Government’s own public school targets released last week.

National targets include:

• Improving NAPLAN proficiency levels for reading and numeracy across all year levels;
• Increasing the outcomes for priority equity cohorts in NAPLAN results;
• Increasing the Student Attendance Rate;
• Increasing the engagement rate (completed or still enrolled) of initial teacher education students; and
• Increasing the proportion of students leaving school with a Year 12 certificate.

This means more help for students and more support for teachers.

Today’s agreement with New South Wales follows agreements with Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Victoria.
 
The Commonwealth is continuing to work with Queensland.

As at 4 March 2025.