A total of 54 schools will share millions of dollars in funding for security guards and cameras, Justice Minister Michael Keenan announced on Monday.
Speaking in Sydney, Mr Keenan said the funding - part of an $18 million program - is not in response to any particular threat to any specific schools, including the Shi'ite school he was speaking at.
He said the schools would receive funding so that staff and students “have confidence that they are safe”.
“There are certain schools throughout Australia that have a slightly higher-risk profile,” he said.
“This isn't a result to anything specific...There has been an increased threat in Australia in general.”
The funding is part of the Secure Schools Program, which has been in place since 2007.
Mr Keenan said the existing program has been "altered" since the Abbott Government came into power.
"Before we came to government, we made a commitment that we’d be allocating this $18 million," he said.
"It funds things such as CCTV, improved lighting, other confidence enhancing security measures. But the change that we’ve made is that it can now also fund security guards which has been an important piece of the puzzle for some schools to enhance their security arrangements."
The funding is spread across both public and independent schools, half of which are Islamic and Jewish.
Twenty-nine schools are in NSW, 15 in Victoria and four in Western Australia. Two more are in South Australia, while one school in both the ACT and Northern Territory will receive funding.
A funding breakdown was also provided by Mr Keenan's office:
- 11 Government schools—$1,931,500
- 17 Jewish schools—$7,569,100
- 15 Islamic schools—$4,439,800
- 11 Independent schools—$2,706,200
