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. 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 responsese 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.
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.
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?
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?
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?
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?
No response
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.
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?
YES
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.
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?
YES
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 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.