Schools for our future enquiry travels to Queensland

Australian Education Union Media Release 5th May 2026

The Australian Education Union is bringing its Australia-first national inquiry into public school infrastructure to Brisbane today, despite the Queensland Government denying the Inquiry access to visit state schools.

The inquiry, chaired by Sharan Burrow AC, is travelling around Australia to hear directly from principals, teachers, governments and community organisations about how school infrastructure can support high-quality teaching and learning now and into the future.

Already the inquiry has visited South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria, visiting schools which have seen recent state government investment as well as those that have unmet infrastructure needs and maintenance backlogs. These school visits are enabling the inquiry to investigate how targeted investment can deliver world-class learning environments for every student.

However, the Crisafulli Government has denied the request for the inquiry to visit Queensland schools, the Education Minister has not responded to our invitation to meet and the Education Department rejected the invitation. This is in stark contrast to other states visited, where governments understand the importance of this issue.

The inquiry is still going ahead in Brisbane today with a series of roundtable discussions meeting with principals, teachers, and community organisations to identify practical solutions and long-term priorities for increased school infrastructure investment in Queensland.

The Brisbane roundtables form part of a nationwide consultation process that will inform recommendations to governments on how to deliver equitable, future-focused public school infrastructure across Australia.

“The refusal of the Queensland Government to allow the inquiry access to state schools is incredibly disappointing but will not stop the inquiry from doing its work, or from speaking to teachers, principals and education stakeholders in Queensland about how collectively we can improve state school infrastructure.”

“We see the incredible impact that high-quality facilities can have when schools are properly resourced. The challenge now is uplifting every public school across the nation, so all students have access to high quality learning facilities.”

New data reveals Commonwealth investment in state school infrastructure in Queensland has declined sharply over the past decade, falling from a high of 44.6% in 2011 and an average of 30.0% of total capital funding between 2009 and 2017 to an average of just 13.6% between 2018 and 2024.

“There is a real opportunity right now for the state and federal government to work together and invest in the schools our communities need,” Ms Haythorpe said.

Ms Haythorpe said the inquiry is focused on solutions and long-term planning.

“This is about getting the settings right for the future. We must ensure our schools have the infrastructure to meet growing student needs and support high-quality teaching,” she said.

“Teachers in Queensland cannot be expected to deliver 21st century learning in facilities designed for decades past. With the right investment, we can ensure every child in Queensland learns in a school that is safe, modern and built for success.”