In the 2016-17 financial year, apparently the public spending
amounted to$17,531 per student in government schools ($14,886 state + $2,645 federal)
$10,644 in non-government schools ($2,591 state + $8,053 federal)
It's interesting that it's basically the federal government keeping the private schools publicly-funded. Targetting those upper middle class voters, I suppose.
Now, comparing where the money goes, for
government schools and
non-government schools,
Govt schools have $21.8 billion of $43.7 billion of public funding going to teacher salaries. Non-government it's $10.6 of $25.2 billion. Non-government schools get about 30% of all the students overall, so you see they have just slightly more spent on them in proportion.
There are a few differences, though, one of which that government schools spend $2 billion on "capital expenditure" (ie new buildings and grounds) and non-government $3.3 billion. So they have less than 1/3 the students, but spend 50% more on buildings and grounds; proportionally, they spend at least 5 times as much.
Well, you can see that when you visit the different schools. Now, it's obvious that a child will learn better in a classroom where they fix the leak where the rain comes in, and better where they have airconditioning than having to sit there on 40C days. But it's not clear they learn better in a magnificent building than a functional one, nor is it clear that they learn better if they have a new boatshed. I mean, I think we can do better than the cruddy old portables, but...
Essentially they just use the flash new buildings to impress parents on open days. Well, okay.
State grants to private schools amounted to $2.6 billion and federal $8.3 billion. So the states could stop funding private schools entirely (or the feds drop funding by about a third) and the private schools could balance the books by reducing their capital expenditure so it'd be in proportion with government schools. 30% of the students x government school capital spending of $3.3 = ~ $600 million, and current non-govt school capital spending of $3.3 billion - state funding of $2.6 billion = $700 million left.
The non-government schools have some higher ongoing capital costs, since it costs more to keep a fancy building maintained, lit and heated or cooled than a grungy old one. So they'd still need more money than state schools.
It's odd how it's all worked out. Still, I've yet to hear of a government school where they had to get rid of five staff in one week because of molestation and sexual harassment issues. Thinking of themselves as "elite" while having a tradition of "we deal with our problems ourselves"... well, egos plus lack of scrutiny leads to a culture of impunity - and crimes. We've seen it with the SAS and commandos, and we've seen it with St Kevin's.