The department continues to shape Queensland's future by delivering quality early childhood and care services, providing a high performing education system that prepares every student for a bright future with a strong start and the opportunity to achieve their full potential, and supporting a vibrant arts and culture sector across the state.
In 2025–26, the department achieved an operating surplus of $211.152 million, or 1.4% against a total departmental controlled budget of $14.932 billion, primarily resulting from $138.500 million of assets capitalised through the independent annual asset revaluation process.
Key investments and initiatives included:
- assisting families with the cost of living by providing a $100 credit to all Queensland primary schools to offset the cost of resources and activities under the Back to School Boost initiative
- continuing Free Kindy and programs that support access to quality services through inclusion funding, rural and remote assistance, and Early Childhood Workforce initiatives
- delivering more teachers, teacher aides and behaviour support specialists to schools to address workforce shortages, improve classroom support, and deliver better outcomes for students across Queensland as part of the More Teachers, Better Education commitment
- providing more opportunities for teachers and teacher aides to access professional development in behaviour management, inclusive education, and science, technology, engineering andmathematics
- delivering and maintaining cultural assets, including the new Glasshouse Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, increasing the state's capacity to present high quality cultural experiences
- continuing the state's commitment under the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement—Full and Fair Funding.
The department's material financial statement balances reflect our large school land and buildings portfolio across more than 1,260 state schools and payment of salaries for over 79,000 FTE. Supplies and services were predominantly represented by curriculum and other school resources and the maintenance, refurbishment and utility costs associated with our large asset base. Grants and subsidies mainly related to funding provided to early years and kindergarten service providers.
In accordance with section 77(2)(b) of the
Financial Accountability Act 2009 (Qld), I have provided the Director-General with a statement regarding the financial internal controls of the department, in line with section 54 of the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2019 (Qld). As the Chief Finance Officer, I have therefore fulfilled the minimum responsibilities as required by section 77(1)(b) of the
Financial Accountability Act 2009 (Qld).
Duncan Anson
GAICD, FCPA, BBus
Chief Finance Officer
Financial summary
The following financial summary provides an overview of the department's financial results for 2025–26. For a comprehensive set of financial statements covering all aspects of the department's activities, see the
Financial Statements section of this annual report. No totals have been adjusted for commercial-in-confidence requirements.
Controlled financial performance
The department recorded an operating surplus of $211.152 million for 2025–26. Table 8 summarises the financial results of the department's operations over the past 3 years.
Table 8: Summary of financial performance
| Income | 14,988,064 | 13,986,979 | 12,982,581 |
| Expenses | 14,776,912 | 13,817,359 | 12,859,590 |
|
Operating surplus/(deficit) |
211,152 |
169,620 |
122,991 |
Income
Income from the department's controlled operations totalled $14.988 billion in 2025–26, an increase of $1.001 billion from the previous year.
Departmental controlled services revenue (appropriation) was $14.183 billion, an increase of $948.533 million from last year. This was largely due to additional funding for a range of school education related initiatives, election commitments, enterprise bargaining outcomes, increased funding to support kindergartens, funding to meet additional depreciation expenditure, as well as increased Commonwealth Government funding under the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement—Full and Fair Funding.
Figure 1: Controlled income 2025-26
| Appropriation revenue | 94.63 | 14,182,837 |
| User charges and fees | 3.38 | 506,314 |
| Grants and contributions | 0.60 | 90,206 |
| Other | 1.39 | 208,707 |
|
Total | |
14,988,064 |