This report will investigate the historical causes of school funding disparities over the last two decades. It reveals that these disparities are not accidental or isolated incidents but rather the result of long-standing structural inequalities caused by a needs-based funding model implemented in 2018. Current policy is based on the idea that schooling is essentially a commodity purchased by individual families, leading to the educational system becoming more market-based and "choice-oriented," encouraging school marketization and viewing education as a consumer product (Riddle, 2014). 

Such a viewpoint is naturally hotly debated in the community at large, as well as in academic and policy circles. Imposing these individualistic, market-oriented policies resulted in a rapid increase in educational inequality due to political schisms, with the government allocating more funds to private schools than public schools. 

Due to funding disparities, educational opportunities vary by income level, with higher-income students having better access to resources, qualified teachers, modern facilities, extracurricular activities, and advanced courses (ABC News, 2012). These findings strongly indicate that there have been growing concerns about school funding in Australia for many years and that the current school framework needs to be more sustainable.

 

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