Victoria mulls radical plan: private schools choose free fees or lose all
A proposal would force Victoria's private schools to end fees and entrance exams, or lose government funding.
Victoria's private schools would face a stark choice under a big education overhaul: go fee-free and serve all local students with full public funding, or lose all government money. The plan is adapted from Ontario's system.
Tom Greenwell and former school principal Chris Bonnor detailed it in a report. It aims to break down social segregation in Australian schools.
Private schools that accept these terms would get full funding for running and capital costs. This matches what public schools get.
Faith-based schools could keep teaching religion but could not pick wealthy families or screen by exam. Ontario's model works well.
93 per cent of students attend fully publicly funded, fee-free schools serving local enrolment zones. The province consistently outperforms Australia on every international student assessment.
- 93 per cent
- Ontario students in public systems
- Choice and Fairness
- Report title
- Tom Greenwell, Chris Bonnor
- Co-authors
Why it mattersThe proposal challenges Australia's highly segregated education system. Private schools drain resources and top students from public classrooms, widening inequality.
AustraliaIf adopted in Victoria, the model could reshape school access across Australia's second-largest state and influence housing choices by making every neighbourhood school genuinely competitive.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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