From the President's Desk

April 2025

Term 2, 2025 - A Critical Time for Public Education

Dear Families and Supporters of Public Education,

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you and your children had a restful break and are returning refreshed for the new school term.

THE FEDERAL ELECTION: A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

As you are likely aware, a federal election will be held on May 3rd, just days into the new term. This election represents a critical opportunity for all families with children in public education to make our voices heard on issues that directly impact our children's educational futures.

The Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) has developed a comprehensive set of education priorities that we believe should be central to any political party's education platform. These include:

Sustainable and equitable funding - accelerating the implementation of 100% Schooling Resource Standard funding. This is a minimum level of funding and aims to only have 80 per cent of students meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards.
Reducing financial barriers for families facing increasing education costs
Family engagement in education through dedicated support and resources
Support for all students to excel through comprehensive wellbeing strategies and appropriate resources
Integration of government services to better coordinate resources and support students' needs
Educational excellence through effective teaching practices and digital strategies

WHY YOUR VOICE MATTERS NOW

Private school parent bodies and parents have long understood the power of coordinated advocacy. Their consistent engagement with political candidates has proven remarkably effective in influencing education policy and funding decisions. As public school families, we need to match this level of engagement to ensure our children's needs are equally prioritised.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Contact your local candidates - Send emails or letters outlining your concerns about public education funding and support. Template letters are available on our website.
Attend candidate forums - Ask direct questions about their commitment to public education, particularly regarding funding, resources, and support services.
Share on social media - Use the hashtag #foreverychild #publicandproud to join the national conversation.
Talk to other families - Encourage them to also reach out to candidates and share our social media posts to interested families.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Visit www.acsso.org.au/election2025 to access:

Our detailed education priorities document
Template letters for contacting candidates
Candidate response tracker
Social media graphics and messaging suggestions

STAY CONNECTED

This term, ACSSO will be regularly updating families on party positions regarding our key priorities. Follow us on social media or subscribe to our email updates to stay informed about developments as the election approaches.

Remember, our collective voice is powerful. When families speak together about the importance of quality public education, politicians listen.

It is quite likely that we will have a minority Government following the election, and that successful candidates may be vying to negotiate coalitions to form Government.

Let's ensure that and negotiations to form Government take account of the importance of public education, and whoever forms government after May 3rd understands that investing in public education is investing in Australia's future.

Wishing your family a successful Term 2,

Damien Ellwood
President
Australian Council of State School Organisations