Federal Election

As part of our 2025 Federal Election Policy Platform, the Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS) is calling for commitments from political parties in three key areas.

1. Sustainable School Funding

2. Protecting Parental Choice

3. Addressing Teacher Workforce Challenges

AACS invited the major and minor political parties to respond to our policy priorities and have assessed them against our Election Scorecard HERE

Your voice matters. Your vote matters.

AACS invited the major and minor political parties to respond to our policy priorities. Their responses are being uploaded here as we receive them - without edits or interpretation - so you can see where each party stands. As you prepare to vote, we encourage you to carefully consider how each party’s position with the values of Christian education and the future of our schools.

Read the party responses under each priority below:

What are your party’s plans to ensure fair and equitable funding for Christian schools, enabling them to remain affordable and adequately resourced to provide quality, faith-based education?

A returned Albanese Labor Government will deliver fair and equitable funding for every school in Australia. As you are aware non-government schools are on a path to 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) and that pathway will remain unchanged. I give you that commitment.

How will your party ensure sustainable recurrent funding that reflects the real costs of education, allowing Christian schools to continue providing high-quality education accessible to all families?

The SRS was designed by the Gillard Labor Government in response to David Gonski’s first landmark review to be consistently applied across the country. It determines the cost of education per student, including additional loadings for Indigenous students, students with disability, students from regional and remote Australia and students from low-SES backgrounds. As part of the Albanese Government’s Better and Fairer Schools (Full and Fair Funding) Agreement, the first National Enabling Initiative is a review of the Schooling Resource Standard base and loadings calculation methodology. This will be undertaken from 2027, and an Albanese Labor Government will welcome your involvement in that review.

Will your party support increasing capital funding to support new campuses to meet the growing demand for Christian education, particularly in growth areas?

The Capital Grants Program remains for non-government schools only. It will provide approximately $1 billion of funding to non-government schools over the next four years. The program will be indexed every year and the Albanese Labor Government will continue to deliver this funding. The Albanese Labor Government will not remove the deductible gift recipient status for donations made to school building funds.

In the Northern Territory, will your party support annual increases toward 100% of the School Resource Standard by 2029 and increased capital funding for independent schools?

Regarding funding for non-government schools in the Northern Territory – the Commonwealth is already meeting its required 80 per cent share of the SRS for non-government schools. The former government’s National School Reform Agreement established the Northern Territory Government’s share of funding for non-government schools at 15.9 per cent of the SRS. Under the BFSA the Northern Territory government has committed to lifting its share of the SRS for non-government schools to 20 per cent in 2029. Bringing this funding forward or changing the trajectory is entirely a matter for the Northern Territory Government.

Does your party support or reject the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds?

Regarding the Productivity Commission’s recommendations in the Future foundations for giving report on the future of philanthropy, the government won’t change the tax arrangements and DGR status of school building funds or religious education activities.

What are your party’s plans to ensure fair and equitable funding for Christian schools, enabling them to remain affordable and adequately resourced to provide quality, faith-based education?
The former Coalition government established the Choice and Affordability Fund of $1.2 billion to provide adjustment support for Independent and Catholic schools over ten years to 2029, with $735 million allocated to the Catholic sector.
How will your party ensure sustainable recurrent funding that reflects the real costs of education, allowing Christian schools to continue providing high-quality education accessible to all families?
As we committed to in government, we will review the settings of the Schooling Resource Standard ahead of the expiry of the Choice and Affordability Fund in 2029. Doing so will ensure funding to the Catholic and Independent school sectors is fair and representative of the needs of individual school communities.
Will your party support increasing capital funding to support new campuses to meet the growing demand for Christian education, particularly in growth areas?
The Coalition will continue to fund Catholic and Independent Schools for capital works. The Capital Grants Program was established by the Coalition to provide a regular (annual) opportunity for schools to apply for capital grants and is implemented through Capital Grant Authorities.
In the Northern Territory, will your party support annual increases toward 100% of the School Resource Standard by 2029 and increased capital funding for independent schools?
The Coalition will work closely with states and territories to ensure the Catholic and Independent sectors receive the school funding contributions agreed in the School Resourcing Standard. The Albanese Government excluded the Catholic and Independent sectors from any meaningful consultation on the negotiations of the ten year school funding and reform agreements for 2025 to 2034.
Does your party support or reject the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds?
A major threat to the funding of the capital works for non-government schools is the abolition of deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for schools, as recommended by a Labor-commissioned Productivity Commission report. Tax deductible school building funds play a vital role in funding school infrastructure particularly for low-fee paying schools. It should be noted the Coalition also opposes the imposition of payroll tax on non-government schools, as has occurred in Victoria.

What are your party’s plans to ensure fair and equitable funding for Christian schools, enabling them to remain affordable and adequately resourced to provide quality, faith-based education?
The Greens are taking a suite of policies to this election designed to ensure that every child in Australia has access to a free, fully funded world-class education. Our policy focus is on ensuring that public schools are fully funded, have the infrastructure that kids deserve, and are completely fee-free. The Greens are supportive of the current, longstanding government policy settings, supported by both the Labor Government and Coalition, to transition all private schools to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2029. For the private schools that are currently funded above that 100% level, this means transitioning down to 100%. This is Labor and Coalition policy and is supported by the Greens and across the parliament.
How will your party ensure sustainable recurrent funding that reflects the real costs of education, allowing Christian schools to continue providing high-quality education accessible to all families?
The Greens policy funds every school in Australia to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard, regardless of whether they are public or private. The Greens believe that a well-resourced public system is the cornerstone of universal education and our egalitarian society. Our goal is to ensure that all children can have an education that sets them up for the future - and for this to be possible, it’s vital that every school gets the funding it needs.

Will your party support increasing capital funding to support new campuses to meet the growing demand for Christian education, particularly in growth areas?
The Greens’ plan for schools includes:

Investing an additional $38 billion in public schools over the next decade. That means Commonwealth funding will increase to 25% of the Schooling Resource Standard, ensuring all public schools receive 100% of the SRS funding they need to provide a quality education by July 2026.

Delivering an additional $2.4 billion to schools on top of their full funding to abolish out-of-pocket costs for public schools, including ending voluntary fees for students’ families, so that public schools are completely free. That means no out of pocket costs for parents or teachers and activities like art, sport and music are accessible by everyone.

Providing annual ‘back to school’ payments of $800 for every child to the parents of public-school kids to cover additional out-of-pocket costs like computers, uniforms, sporting equipment, instruments and stationery.

Delivering upgrades to public school infrastructure to ensure it meets the needs of teachers and students. We will establish a new capital grants fund for public school infrastructure, to disperse $1.25 billion in its first year and $350 million each year after.

We will also ensure that classrooms are safe for students and teachers by properly ventilating them. We’ve advocated for national standards, so all schools have mechanical ventilation in classrooms. We will seek to provide $388m for the installation of HEPA filters and CO2 monitors so everyone can breathe a little easier. Our plan is fully costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office, and we’ll pay for it by collecting more tax from billionaires and big corporations.

In the Northern Territory, will your party support annual increases toward 100% of the School Resource Standard by 2029 and increased capital funding for independent schools?
Our goal is to ensure that all children can have an education that sets them up for the future - and for this to be possible, it’s vital that every school gets the funding it needs. I have also flagged my strong support, in principle, for ensuring that students receive the support they need over and above the SRS, including loadings, as necessary - particularly for students with disabilities, and those in regional and remote areas.
Does your party support or reject the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds?
No response

What are your party’s plans to ensure fair and equitable funding for Christian schools, enabling them to remain affordable and adequately resourced to provide quality, faith-based education?
All children are equally entitled to fair and equitable public funding, regardless of the school they attend. The current Commonwealth funding model must be maintained to ensure that parents have a real choice in education. In addition, we will seek to ensure that those schools serving the most vulnerable students, Special Assistance Schools, Majority ATSIS schools and Special Schools within the nongovernment sector will not be disadvantaged by the application of a capacity to contribute score that is not reflective of their needs.
How will your party ensure sustainable recurrent funding that reflects the real costs of education, allowing Christian schools to continue providing high-quality education accessible to all families?
The current mechanism for indexing the School Resource Standard is reliant upon indirect measures of school costs and an increasingly outdated base School Resource Standard. The National School Resourcing Board should be requested to review both the case Standard and the indexation mechanism.
Will your party support increasing capital funding to support new campuses to meet the growing demand for Christian education, particularly in growth areas?
Yes. This provides a fundamental level of support for genuine school choice.
In the Northern Territory, will your party support annual increases toward 100% of the School Resource Standard by 2029 and increased capital funding for independent schools?
Consistent with our comments above in relation to schools serving the most vulnerable students, the unique costs of providing education in the Northern Territory should be recognised and reflective in the funding provided.
Does your party support or reject the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds?
The Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds was part of a broader attack on philanthropy to faith-based institutions and organisations. It should be called out for what it is, religious discrimination, and totally rejected.

What are your party’s plans to ensure fair and equitable funding for Christian schools, enabling them to remain affordable and adequately resourced to provide quality, faith-based education?
Increase funding for independent schools, where possible (and where not already covered by State funding i.e. Catholic Schools in WA), to bring funding up to as close to fair and equitable levels as possible within budgetary constraints.
How will your party ensure sustainable recurrent funding that reflects the real costs of education, allowing Christian schools to continue providing high-quality education accessible to all families?
Review existing funding arrangements and criteria to apply Capacity to Contribute (CTC) rules to all schools to ensure equitable provision of funding where it is most needed.
Will your party support increasing capital funding to support new campuses to meet the growing demand for Christian education, particularly in growth areas?
YES
In the Northern Territory, will your party support annual increases toward 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2029 and increased capital funding for independent schools?
YES
Does your party support or reject the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds?
REJECT

The Legalise Cannabis Party supports fair and equitable education funding that ensures all students, regardless of their background or the type of school they attend, receive high-quality education.

What are your party’s plans to ensure fair and equitable funding for Christian schools, enabling them to remain affordable and adequately resourced to provide quality, faith-based education?
We advocate for a funding model that provides adequate resources for all schools including Christian schools, while ensuring public education remains a strong and viable option.
How will your party ensure sustainable recurrent funding that reflects the real costs of education, allowing Christian schools to continue providing high-quality education accessible to all families?
Sustainable recurrent funding must reflect the real costs of education and we support a review of current funding allocations to ensure transparency and fairness.
Will your party support increasing capital funding to support new campuses to meet the growing demand for Christian education, particularly in growth areas?
We acknowledge the growing demand for Christian education and believe that all schools should have access to capital funding opportunities to support new campuses, particularly in high-growth areas.
In the Northern Territory, will your party support annual increases toward 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2029 and increased capital funding for independent schools?
In the Northern Territory, we support progressive increases in funding toward 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2029 to ensure all independent schools can continue providing quality education.
Does your party support or reject the Productivity Commission's recommendation to remove the deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for donations made to school building funds?
We do not support the removal of deductible gift recipient (DGR) status for school building funds, as it would unfairly impact the ability of schools to expand and improve facilities.

How will your party protect the rights of Christian and other religious schools to employ teachers and staff who share the same values and beliefs of the school?

Consistent with the Prime Minister’s commitment before the 2022 election, draft legislation was developed which would –

• prevent discrimination against people of faith;

• act to protect all students from discrimination on any grounds; and

• protect teachers from discrimination at work, whilst maintaining the right of religious schools to preference people of their faith in the selection of staff.

The Prime Minister made it clear that bipartisan support was needed to progress these reforms, to ensure the protections we seek will be lasting. We could only proceed with this legislation if it would unite Australians, and not divide us.

Unfortunately, the Coalition has refused to engage with the Government at all on possible amendments to the draft bill.

Will your party support laws which protects the right of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children, in accordance with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?
The Coalition believes Australians should be free to follow their religion, or lack of religion, without discrimination and that religious schools and bodies should be able to employ staff based on its values.
How will your party protect the rights of Christian and other religious schools to employ teachers and staff who share the same values and beliefs of the school?
A Dutton Coalition Government will support the rights of religious organisations, including faith-based schools when employing staff to preference those who adhere to the beliefs of the religious organisation.
Please outline your party's position on Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act (1984) which provides exemptions for a religious educational institution that is conducted in accordance with the doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings of a particular religion or creed. Will your party support maintaining the current provisions?
The Coalition is committed to ensuring that freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from discrimination, including on the basis of race or religion, are all protected and promoted. Whilst all Australians have a right to express their views, including people with controversial views, they must remain within the framework of Australian law.
Under a Dutton Coalition Government religious Australians will not go backwards and freedom of religion will remain a cherished right in Australia.

How will your party protect the rights of Christian and other religious schools to employ teachers and staff who share the same values and beliefs of the school?
People of faith should be free to practise their religion without fear of harm or prejudice, and people should have the right to feel secure in their employment, without fear of being fired for who they are.

Please outline your party's position on Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act (1984) which provides exemptions for a religious educational institution that is conducted in accordance with the doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings of a particular religion or creed. Will your party support maintaining the current provisions?
The Australian Greens believe that schools should continue to be able to hire teachers that will teach the school’s values, and also that a staff member cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.

How will your party protect the rights of Christian and other religious schools to employ teachers and staff who share the same values and beliefs of the school?
Uphold the existing exemptions and oppose any Bills that propose to remove such exemptions, and where possible, seek to strengthen the protection of these freedoms.

The Legalise Cannabis Party believes in civil liberties, human rights and personal freedoms, including the right of parents to choose the best education for their children.

Will your party support laws which protects the right of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children, in accordance with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?
We support the right of parents to ensure their children receive religious and moral education in accordance with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

How will your party protect the rights of Christian and other religious schools to employ teachers and staff who share the same values and beliefs of the school?
Religious schools should have the right to employ staff who align with their values and beliefs, provided that this does not lead to discrimination beyond the school's faith-based mission.

Please outline your party ‘s position on Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act (1984) which provides exemptions for a religious educational institution that is conducted in accordance with the doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings of a particular religion or creed. Will your party support maintaining the current provisions?
We believe in balancing religious freedoms with anti-discrimination protections. While we recognise the importance of Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act (1984), we support ongoing dialogue to ensure protections for religious schools do not infringe on broader human rights.

Will your party support laws which protects the right of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children, in accordance with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?
Family First strongly supports the rights of parents, enshrined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights amongst other international treaties and instruments to which Australia is a party, to ensure the religious and moral education of their children. The failure of successive Australian Governments to enshrine this protection in law is a blight on our nation and an issue we would seek to have addressed as a priority.
How will your party protect the rights of Christian and other religious schools to employ teachers and staff who share the same values and beliefs of the school?
Christian and other religious schools should have a positive right to ensure that they can:
• Teach in accordance with their beliefs,
• Employ staff who share and can model those beliefs, and
• Conduct their operations based on those beliefs.
If elected, we would seek to have such a positive right enshrined in Commonwealth law.
Please outline your party's position on Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act (1984) which provides exemptions for a religious educational institution that is conducted in accordance with the doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings of a particular religion or creed. Will your party support maintaining the current provisions?
As outlined above, we would like to see the necessary protections incorporated as a positive right, not merely as an exemption within a poorly drafted Sex Discrimination Act. We would also seek to ensure that the Sex Discrimination Act was amended to protect the rights of women and girls by reinserting a biologically based definition of sex.

Will your party expand teaching scholarships to include students who choose to work in non-government schools, including Christian schools?

Will your party simplify the teacher accreditation process between states and territories to reduce unnecessary regulation and allow teachers to easily move to areas of need?

When Labor came to government we were met with acute teacher shortages. We needed to turn that around and have worked with the states and territories to attract, train and retain teachers. Our National Teacher Workforce Action Plan was a collaborative effort bringing together experts, all jurisdictions and the non-government sector to take significant and practical action to address this. This included $337 million in investment by the Albanese Labor Government to deliver:

• Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships worth up to $40,000 each

• 1,500 additional places in the High Achieving Teachers Program

• a cross-sectoral Teacher Workload Reduction Fund, and

• improvements in the professional development of teachers.

In relation to Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships, a future Labor Government would consider expanding the program to allow a commitment to teach in areas experiencing teacher shortages in non-government schools if the program is under-subscribed. I note that once a scholarship recipient has met their two- or four-year commitment to teach obligation, they may choose to work in any school sector or early learning setting. This ultimately benefits the whole system by supporting an expanded and skilled workforce in the future.

Will your party streamline the Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill teacher shortages in a timely manner?

The streamlining of the skilled migration program for teachers is Action 4 of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan. The Albanese Labor Government has put a ministerial direction in place that puts skilled visas for teachers and healthcare workers in the top priority for processing. This has brought processing times down significantly.

Will your party expand teaching scholarships to include students who choose to work in non-government schools, including Christian schools?
The Coalition backs all students and teachers in all Australian classrooms.
As a principle, a Dutton Government will make available to all school sectors any new programs to support schools, including programs to support the teacher workforce and the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Will your party simplify the teacher accreditation process between states and territories to reduce unnecessary regulation and allow teachers to easily move to areas of need?
Labor talks about fixing the teacher shortage crisis, but its approach has been ineffective. Acute teacher shortages persist in key areas, and teacher accreditation remains a challenge; the Coalition will focus on real solutions for the profession, working with states and territories.

Will your party streamline the Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill teacher shortages in a timely manner?
A Dutton Coalition Government will review the Skilled Occupation List to ensure that it has the flexibility to assist in addressing the labour force shortages in our regions and in specific sectors.

Will your party expand teaching scholarships to include students who choose to work in nongovernment schools, including Christian schools?
No Response

Will your party simplify the teacher accreditation process between states and territories to reduce unnecessary regulation and allow teachers to easily move to areas of need?
No Response

Will your party streamline the Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill teacher shortages in a timely manner?
No Response

Will your party expand teaching scholarships to include students who choose to work in nongovernment schools, including Christian schools?
YES

Will your party simplify the teacher accreditation process between states and territories to reduce unnecessary regulation and allow teachers to easily move to areas of need?
YES

Will your party streamline the Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill teacher shortages in a timely manner?
YES

The Legalise Cannabis Party acknowledges the nationwide teacher shortages and supports practical solutions to attract and retain educators across all sectors, including non-government and Christian schools.

Will your party expand teaching scholarships to include students who choose to work in nongovernment schools, including Christian schools?
We support expanding teaching scholarships to include students committed to working in non-government schools, including faith-based institutions.

Will your party simplify the teacher accreditation process between states and territories to reduce unnecessary regulation and allow teachers to easily move to areas of need?
We advocate for streamlining teacher accreditation processes between states and territories to reduce bureaucratic barriers and improve workforce mobility.

Will your party streamline the Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill teacher shortages in a timely manner?
We support improvements to Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill critical teacher shortages in a timely and efficient manner.

Additional Comments
Our party is committed to policies that uphold personal freedoms, human rights, and fair funding while ensuring that all students receive quality education in an inclusive and sustainable manner.

Will your party expand teaching scholarships to include students who choose to work in nongovernment schools, including Christian schools?
The Albanese Government’s decision to restrict these scholarships to only those teachers seeking to work in government schools is blatantly discriminatory. It ignores the needy non-government schools equally deserving of support. If support it to be limited, it should be needs-based but open to all school sectors.

Will your party streamline the Skilled Migration Programs to allow schools to fill teacher shortages in a timely manner?
No Response

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