17 January 2024
The Greens are urging the State Government to scrap public school fees including, uniforms, electronics and stationery, as new data from the Futurity Investment Group reveals that SA families are spending more than $86,000 to put a child through public school from prep to year 12 and a separate survey from the Smith Family shows that school fees left 11% of Australian parents struggling to afford food.
"Public education should be free yet sadly parents are being slugged thousands of dollars to send their kids to school each year”, said Greens SA Education Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.
“It’s completely unacceptable that so many parents are facing the possibility that their children will miss out on accessing the education that they deserve because they are expected to pay for laptops, books, and stationery.”
“Scrapping school fees entirely would ensure that every child has the materials and equipment that they need to be able to realise their full potential in the classroom and reduce financial pressure on parents. The State Government really needs to step up here and provide relief to families during this cost-of-living crisis."
Last year, the Greens pushed for Labor to revive its major bank levy and use the funds raised to Introduce a free healthy breakfast and lunch program in every state primary and secondary school in South Australia.