CATHOLIC education authorities around Australia are joining forces in a national campaign to lobby the Federal Government on funding and other issues.
National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) member and Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) executive director Joe McCorley said funding issues were the top priority.
‘We’re trying to develop a campaign that involves all states and territories in Australia and all parent bodies, so we all have one message for the Federal Government,’ Mr McCorley said.
He said the three major issues for the Catholic sector nationally were Commonwealth capital funding which had not increased in real terms since 1985, recurrent funding and funding for students with disabilities.
Mr McCorley said the NCEC was pushing to have Commonwealth recurrent funding increased to 60 per cent of average government school recurrent cost.
The $362 million increase announced by the Government in March took the level to 58 per cent.
Mr McCorley said the need to have capital funding increased was particularly important in Queensland where demographics was the main problem, with population increasing rapidly.
The current net rate of 40,000 people moving to Queensland each year was proving a challenge.
At the same time as Catholic education authorities were pushing the Government for funding increases, they were renewing their commitment to the disadvantaged.
Parents, teachers and administrators have been raising funding concerns with federal politicians at a series of meetings around Brisbane over the past few weeks.
