The ACT Government are being urged by ACT Greens leader Jo Clay to seek compensation from NSW for students attending ACT public schools and CIT, arguing Canberra taxpayers are subsidising interstate education costs.

Ms Clay said the ACT should begin invoicing the NSW Government from the start of Term 3 on July 21 for every NSW student enrolled in ACT-funded education institutions.

Her comments follow the release of economist Saul Eslake’s review into the ACT’s fiscal sustainability, which found NSW does not contribute to the cost of educating its residents in the ACT, unlike existing arrangements for health services.

The Greens say about 1000 NSW students attend ACT public schools each day, with the ACT spending an average of $22,265 per public school student in 2023-24.

Ms Clay said the total cost of educating NSW students was about $23.4 million a year and argued the money should instead be directed towards ACT services.

“When I asked the Labor Government in hearings why the ACT does not get a contribution for NSW students in our schools and CIT, the Government’s response was that they never asked,” she said.

She said the ACT should recover costs from NSW, including capital and depreciation expenses, for students attending ACT-funded schools and training institutions.