Catholic Education benefits all Australians
Catholic schools are Australia’s largest non-government education provider, delivering choice, affordability, and value for all.
Our Priorities
1. Ensure Affordability and Choice
Catholic schools save taxpayers billions of dollars and ease pressure on government-run schools. To remain sustainable, we need the government to provide continued policy stability and funding certainty.
We are calling on our political leaders to:
- Guarantee funding certainty with no adverse changes
- Ease cost of living pressures by reviewing the funding model to ensure affordable and fair parental contributions
- Support Catholic schools in employing staff who uphold their ethos
- Ensure equal access to programs such as national teacher training initiatives.
2. Address hardship, wellbeing and disadvantage
Every student deserves access to quality education and the right support, no matter their background.
We are calling on our political leaders to:
- Expand mental health and wellbeing programs in schools
- Increase support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, including Indigenous Boarding and Closing the Gap initiatives
- Improve funding models for students with disability, rural and remote schools, and disadvantaged communities.
3. Build and Innovate for the Future
As demand for non-government schooling and early childhood education grows, investment must keep pace.
We are calling on our political leaders to:
- Ensure fair funding for early childhood and vocational education including new early childhood centres on Catholic school sites
- Increase infrastructure funding through the Capital Grants Program
- Support Catholic schools in leading national education reforms.
Empowering Communities, Enriching Australia
Educating 1 in 5 Australian Students
- 820,000 students across 1,751 schools
- 42% of students from non-Catholic backgrounds
- 42% of our students come from low socio-educational backgrounds
- 23% of students supported with disability
- 161% growth in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolment over 10 years
Economic and Social Contribution
- Employing more than 112,000 Australians
- Contributing more than $17 billion annually to Australia’s economy
- Families contributing over $6 billion annually in fees and capital levies that reduce the burden on government
Support for Education and Communities
- School communities have built educational infrastructure worth an estimated $100 billion for the nation
- Serving families in regional Australia with 40% of Catholic schools located in regional, rural, and remote areas
- Supporting disadvantaged families with significant fee concessions
Transforming lives through Education
- Research suggests those who attend Catholic schools are more likely, on average, to see lifelong benefits in employment, health and life satisfaction
- In addition, Catholic school attendees are more likely to work in an industry or sector that directly benefits the public and are more likely to donate to charity
Authorised by J Collins, National Catholic Education Commission, Level 3, 156 Gloucester Street, Sydney.