Education & Training

(PSUA) Pursue Australia supports adequate, transparent, needs-based public funding for Australian state schools. Every student deserves access to quality education regardless of postcode, family income or individual circumstances.

Announcing education funding is not the same as delivering resources that improve students' actual learning opportunities. (PSUA) Pursue Australia distinguishes government commitments from verified delivery and examines whether funding reaches classrooms, teachers and students.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's position on state school funding and resourcing includes:

• 1Adequate public funding allocated transparently and on the basis of genuine student need.
• 2Qualified teachers in every classroom, with appropriate specialist support staff.
• 3Sufficient teacher aides, particularly for students with disability or additional learning needs.
• 4Reasonable class sizes that allow effective teaching and individual student attention.
• 5Safe, maintained and accessible school facilities, including appropriate buildings, equipment and technology.
• 6Strong foundations in literacy, numeracy and early learning from early childhood through primary school.
• 7Appropriate learning materials, digital resources and educational technology.
• 8Genuine educational access for students with disability, including reasonable adjustments and specialist support.
• 9Adequate resourcing for regional, rural and remote schools, where students face additional barriers to educational participation.
• 10Early identification of students requiring additional support, with timely and appropriate responses.
• 11Accountability for government funding commitments — tracking what was announced, what was funded and what was actually delivered.
• 12Measurable educational outcomes, not announcements alone, as the standard for evaluating whether investment is working.

Early childhood development, primary education and secondary education each require appropriate investment. (PSUA) Pursue Australia examines whether Australia's state school system is adequately resourced to deliver the education every student deserves.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's position is that inclusive education must involve genuine access to learning — not merely enrolment or attendance. A student who is enrolled but cannot access the curriculum, participate in school activities or receive the support they need is not genuinely included.

Recording an adjustment is not sufficient if the student does not receive it. (PSUA) Pursue Australia examines whether schools identify students requiring support, develop appropriate individual plans, implement agreed adjustments and are held accountable when reasonable supports are documented but not delivered.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's disability inclusion priorities include:

• 1Reasonable adjustments under applicable disability and education requirements, implemented in practice — not only recorded in plans.
• 2Individual curriculum and learning support planning, developed in genuine consultation with students, parents and carers.
• 3Appropriate assessment and examination adjustments, applied consistently and without unnecessary barriers.
• 4Specialist assistance from appropriately qualified professionals, available when and where students need it.
• 5Teacher aide support where required to enable meaningful participation in learning.
• 6Accessible communication, assistive technology and alternative formats where appropriate.
• 7Meaningful consultation with students, parents and carers in developing and reviewing individual plans.
• 8Clear responsibility for implementing agreed supports — not diffused accountability that allows failures to go unaddressed.
• 9Regular monitoring and review of individual plans, with adjustments made when supports are not working.
• 10Appropriate flexible and alternative learning arrangements for students who cannot access standard classroom settings.
• 11Educational continuity during disciplinary disputes, ensuring students with disability are not disproportionately disadvantaged.
• 12Safeguards against unfair disadvantage or exclusion linked to unmet disability-related needs.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia recognises that individual curriculum plans, adjustment arrangements and eligibility requirements differ between jurisdictions and education systems. Not all students automatically qualify for identical plans. However, every student deserves appropriate consideration, genuine consultation and the supports they are entitled to receive.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia proposes the establishment of an independent statutory education complaints, investigations and appeals authority for state education matters. This is a proposed reform — this authority does not currently exist.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's position is that education departments should not be the sole investigators or final reviewers of complaints about their own institutions and decisions. When a school or department investigates a complaint about itself, the independence, impartiality and thoroughness of that investigation cannot be guaranteed. Families and students deserve access to a genuinely independent process.

The proposed authority would operate independently of:

• School principals and leadership teams.
• Regional education administration.
• State education departments.

Subject to appropriate legislation, its proposed responsibilities would include:

• 1Receiving and assessing relevant education complaints from students, families and education workers.
• 2Investigating student safety failures, including bullying, violence, harassment and discrimination.
• 3Reviewing bullying and discrimination complaints where internal school processes have not produced adequate outcomes.
• 4Examining suspension and exclusion decisions for procedural fairness, legal authority and proportionality.
• 5Investigating disability-adjustment and inclusion concerns where agreed supports have not been implemented.
• 6Assessing procedural fairness in school and departmental decision-making.
• 7Obtaining relevant records through lawful powers, including incident reports, communications and decision records.
• 8Preserving and reviewing evidence, including CCTV footage where relevant and lawfully accessible.
• 9Providing impartial review and appeal processes, accessible without requiring legal representation.
• 10Recommending or requiring corrective action within statutory authority.
• 11Protecting complainants, students and witnesses against retaliation.
• 12Publishing appropriately de-identified systemic findings to inform public accountability.
• 13Reporting transparently on complaint handling, investigation outcomes and systemic issues.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's proposed authority would require clear jurisdiction, defined legal powers, appropriate timeframes, strong privacy protections, evidence safeguards and independent governance. The goal is not to undermine schools or education departments — it is to ensure that students and families have access to a fair, independent process when internal responses are inadequate.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia supports appropriate, proportionate on-site security in state schools. Security arrangements must protect students and staff, be proportionate to identified risks, and be subject to proper oversight and accountability.

Security must complement appropriate staffing, supervision and student support — not substitute for them. (PSUA) Pursue Australia does not support unrestricted surveillance or unrestricted access to student information.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's school security priorities include:

• 1School-specific security needs — recognising that appropriate arrangements differ between schools based on size, location, history and identified risks.
• 2Visitor access and controlled entry, ensuring that only authorised persons can access school grounds during school hours.
• 3Emergency response arrangements, including clear protocols for serious incidents and appropriate communication with families.
• 4Prevention of violence and serious safety incidents, including appropriate supervision and early intervention.
• 5Appropriate CCTV coverage in relevant areas, with clear policies on placement, purpose and access.
• 6Student and staff privacy — ensuring that surveillance is proportionate and does not extend beyond legitimate safety purposes.
• 7Secure footage storage and evidence retention — ensuring that relevant recordings are preserved and not deleted before investigations are complete.
• 8Lawful access to relevant records and footage during authorised investigations — ensuring that evidence is not withheld to prevent accountability.
• 9Independent review where security evidence is disputed or where schools or departments are alleged to have failed to preserve relevant material.
• 10Accountability for security failures — examining whether schools and departments met their obligations when serious incidents occurred.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's position is that appropriate security arrangements and genuine accountability are complementary. A school that fails to preserve evidence of a serious incident, or that restricts access to relevant footage during a legitimate investigation, is not meeting its obligations to students and families.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia recognises vocational education, apprenticeships, traineeships and practical training as pathways of equal value to university education. Australia's industries, communities and workforce depend on skilled tradespeople, technicians, healthcare workers, agricultural workers and qualified practitioners across every sector.

The Education & Training pillar does not focus exclusively on schools. Vocational and practical education is a central priority — and (PSUA) Pursue Australia examines whether Australia is investing in these pathways in ways that deliver genuine skills, qualifications and employment outcomes for Australians.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia's TAFE, apprenticeship and vocational education priorities include:

• 1Public TAFE accessibility and affordability — examining whether cost and availability are preventing Australians from accessing vocational qualifications.
• 2Recognised vocational qualifications — ensuring that training leads to qualifications that are valued by employers and relevant to Australian industries.
• 3Apprenticeships and traineeships — examining whether programs are adequately supported, whether completion rates are acceptable and whether apprentices receive appropriate wages and conditions.
• 4Practical industry training — ensuring that vocational education includes genuine workplace experience and industry-relevant skills.
• 5Training affordability — examining whether fees, costs and financial support arrangements allow Australians to access vocational education without unreasonable financial hardship.
• 6Regional and remote access — examining whether Australians outside major cities can access TAFE, apprenticeships and vocational training without relocating.
• 7Training-provider quality and accountability — examining whether registered training organisations deliver the qualifications they are funded to provide.
• 8Course availability and relevance — ensuring that training programs address actual skills shortages and industry needs.
• 9Workplace placements — examining whether students receive adequate practical experience as part of their training.
• 10Completion rates and employment outcomes — measuring whether training investment translates into qualifications and employment for Australians.
• 11Disability inclusion in vocational education — ensuring that students with disability can access TAFE and apprenticeship programs with appropriate support.
• 12Opportunities for Australian workers — examining whether training programs prioritise developing the domestic workforce rather than substituting imported labour.
• 13Australian-owned business training partnerships — supporting connections between training providers and Australian employers.
• 14Skills shortages and domestic workforce development — examining whether training investment addresses identified gaps in Australia's workforce.
• 15Pathways between secondary education, vocational training and employment — ensuring that students can move between education and work without unnecessary barriers.

(PSUA) Pursue Australia examines whether government investment in vocational education and training delivers genuine skills, recognised qualifications and meaningful employment outcomes for Australians — not simply enrolment numbers or program announcements.

Education and training provide essential knowledge and skills supporting the work of every (PSUA) Pursue Australia pillar. No pillar is superior, more important or higher-ranking than another. Each pillar holds equal importance, with distinct responsibilities contributing to Australia's future.

Education equally depends on the resources, services, industries and communities supported by the other pillars. Some of those connections include:

Education is not separate from the rest of Australia's challenges — it is central to addressing them. A well-educated, well-trained population is essential to every national priority (PSUA) Pursue Australia pursues.