Education union launches campaign to address funding inequality in NT schools
The shocking inequity of school resourcing in the Northern Territory has been brought to light in a nation-wide education union campaign launched in the Top End. The union is calling on both levels of government to sign a new agreement and ensure public schools are fully funded ahead of negotiations with the Commonwealth.
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00:00 Chronically underfunded, these educators want change.
00:06 The inequality that exists within Australia is quite shocking and quite apparent when you come to Catherine.
00:11 We absolutely love our young people and we want to stick around and we want to be part of that for a long time.
00:17 A stretched budget giving rise to large classes and not enough resources for students.
00:23 Teachers are overworked, overburdened, the admin load is just going through the roof.
00:29 But a nationwide campaign launched in the Territory today is hoping to turn the education system on its head.
00:35 Asking the Federal Government to secure an extra $227 million annually for Territory public schools.
00:42 It's going to cost money but it's an investment in Australia's future.
00:46 Under the Federal Government's needs-based funding model, the Territory's funding is down more than 20%.
00:52 Effectively that's no funding for one in five students.
00:56 In other jurisdictions, the Union is calling on the Government to top up funding to 100% but in the Territory the need is even greater.
01:04 We're actually asking for 40% because of the immense gap that we've seen for the last 10 years.
01:11 The Union says both levels of government are funding for failure.
01:15 Over the last decade, private school funding here in the Territory has increased by 43%.
01:21 At the same time, public school funding has only increased by 7.7%.
01:27 I'd welcome more money put into the right things like more medical help for kids, like paediatrician support, specialist support.
01:34 It's backed by the NT Government.
01:37 We've been fighting hard for full funding for our schools ever since Gonski 2.0.
01:43 This fight will need to ramp up fast, with funding negotiations with the Commonwealth right around the corner and the Union demanding full funding by 2028.
01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]