Most schools charging similar fee levels to PLC, like Ruyton Girls School or Methodist Ladies College, had been assigned CTC scores in excess of 120.
Department of Education data shows median household income among PLC parents of $167,000 in 2023, the latest data available, but families at Mount Scopus College, less than two kilometres away, reported median incomes of $344,000.
Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne said it was “unfair and indefensible” that a private school with an $85 million sports centre continued to receive public funding. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
One of the nation’s prominent schools funding experts said he was baffled by the level of taxpayer cash PLC was attracting.
Trevor Cobbold, of campaign group Save Our Schools, told The Age that he estimated on the available figures that PLC was “vastly overfunded”.
Cobbold described the government’s funding calculations for PLC as puzzling.
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He pointed out the school’s similar demographic profile to Kew’s Ruyton Girls School, where, like at PLC, 80 per cent of students come from the top socio-educational advantage quartile.
Both schools have similar scores at the top end of the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA).
“Despite these similarities, PLC received $9471 per student in Commonwealth funding in 2024 while Ruyton got $3591,” Cobbold said.
“The available figures suggest that PLC is being vastly overfunded.
“The discrepancy in funding between very similar schools is very puzzling. A more detailed investigation into the funding entitlement of PLC is needed.”
Greens education spokeswoman Penny Allman-Payne, who pursued questions about PLC’s financing through the Senate estimates process, said the school’s funding was “indefensible”.
“A mega-rich private school with an $85 million sports centre will keep banking public money while every single Victorian public school remains underfunded,” the Queensland Greens senator said.
“It’s unfair and indefensible, and it shows just how broken our school funding model is.
“The federal government’s funding deal with the states means that Victorian public schools will remain underfunded until 2034.
“Labor has abandoned Victoria’s 700,000 public school kids while continuing to pour millions into the pockets of wealthy private schools charging outrageous fees.”
Clare shot back through a spokesperson.
“The Albanese Labor government has reached new funding agreements with every single state and territory, which put all public schools including in Victoria on a path to full and fair funding,” the spokesperson said.
“It means an additional $16.5 billion into our public schools. The biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian government ever.
“The Greens political party has delivered absolutely zero.”
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