ABSTRACT
The past two decades have seen substantial changes in the level of resources allocated to Australian primary schools, to the formulae by which resources have been allocated to schools and to the powers given to the school community on how it will allocate the resources it has within the school. Prior to 1973 there was very little flexibility in resource allocation, with staffing and school maintenance costs centralised and with any alterations or extensions to the school controlled by public works departments. What little school-based funding there was was controlled by the principal on the advice of school committees. Additional funds were raised for school use by Mother’s Clubs, Parent-Teachers’ Associations and the like, and, in the case of funding new buildings, funds raised locally were usually matched by the government.
