Postcards, road trips, and red dust: The epic quest for fully funded state schools
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 1, 16 February, page no. 11
The For Every Child Campaign reached a crescendo in the second half of last year, with AEU National Public Education Campaign Field Coordinators in each state and territory undertaking a road trip to Canberra.
Our goal was to reach as many parts of the country as possible and gather support through the signing of postcards to the Prime Minister. I was one of those fortunate Field Coordinators, travelling the state and delivering thousands of postcards from Queensland to Canberra.
As people from across the country began arriving in Canberra in For Every Child-branded vehicles, it dawned on me how momentous this really was and how privileged I was to be there. Union delegates had driven from the Northern Territory (arriving caked in red dust), Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and some had even ferried the cars across the Bass Strait from Tasmania. Each vehicle was laden with postcards to the PM, calling out the need for more funding in our state schools.
The major culminating event was a huge installation on the lawns of Parliament House on 27 November – a huge red post box overflowing with postcards to the PM – which received fantastic media coverage.
In a landmark move, more than 50 prominent organisations, spanning principals, parents, disability advocates, community groups, and unions, also came together on the day to sign an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, which was published in major newspapers nationwide. The letter urged the government to commit to fully funding public schools by 2028 at the latest. The main message was that it is unacceptable that only 1.3 per cent of state schools currently receive funding at the minimum level agreed upon by governments more than a decade ago.
Our children deserve a better and fairer education system, and achieving this necessitates the complete funding of state schools. The signatories, postcards and huge nationwide event emphasised that such funding is a crucial prerequisite to realising a more equitable education system for all.
The major event in Canberra and all those leading up to it echo the sentiments of teachers, parents, principals, disability organisations, unions, and community groups, who assert that fully funding state schools is an essential investment in the future of Australian children. We need all state schools to be resourced to 100 per cent of the SRS, not just the ones in the ACT. Our state schools play a vital role in educating the majority of children with higher needs, and closing the resources gap is fundamental to addressing unacceptable achievement disparities.
Fully funding our state schools will have broader benefits too, including the attraction and retention of teachers during a critical shortage, and the social benefits of providing a high-quality education for all children, allowing them to reach their full potential regardless of background or circumstances.
I will forever be grateful for what this experience has shown me, which is that a powerful collective of voices, demanding urgent and comprehensive action to fully fund state schools, will not be silenced. As negotiations for new bilateral agreements loom, this pressure urges the Albanese Government and all state and territory governments to prioritise this vital investment, ensuring a brighter future for our nation’s children and broader society.
To all the people who took the opportunity to sign the petition, share content on social media, volunteer at an event, or sign a postcard: thank you! Stay tuned, there will be more. We will not rest until state schools get what they rightfully deserve.