The Australian government has finalised a nationwide agreement to fully fund public education, with Queensland being the last state to sign on.

The deal will provide an additional 2.8 billion dollars in federal funding over 10 years, raising the Commonwealth’s contribution to Queensland’s public schools from 20 per cent to 25 per cent by 2034.

Public schools, which serve many socially disadvantaged and Indigenous students, will benefit significantly.

The funding is tied to education reforms, including individual student support.

The agreement aligns Queensland with other states, such as NSW and Victoria, which secured similar deals earlier in 2025.

Australian students’ understanding of civics education has fallen to a record low, according to the national test held by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

The test, which measures attitudes and engagement with civics and citizenship, found that just 43 per cent of Year 6 students met the proficient standard, down from 53 per cent in 2019.

Among Year 10 students, only 28 per cent met the proficient standard, a decline from 38 per cent in 2019, and the lowest level since assessments began in 2004.

A parliamentary committee this month recommended implementing a universal and mandatory civics and citizenship curriculum, highlighting Australia’s system of compulsory voting and warning that “democracies around the world are facing rising disengagement, distrust, misinformation and disinformation”.