Andrews Governments agrees to lift its share of schools funding, ending long-time cash stoush
Public schools are set to receive a cash injection after the Victorian government moved to end a bitter funding feud with the federal government this week. It comes as 350,000 Victorian students faced being locked out of their classrooms in January.
Education
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Victoria will increase the amount of cash that it provides to its state schools after moving to end a funding feud with the Morrison Government.
The Andrews Government had been the last to hold out on signing on to the so-called Gonski 2.0 deal and has agreed to lift its share of funding for public primary and secondary schools by an additional $7 billion over the next five years.
The government — despite adopting “The Education State” motto — had been the lowest funder of public education per student nationally.
VICTORIA SIGNS INTERIM FUNDING DEAL AMID STAND-OFF
FUNDING STAND-OFF PUTS SCHOOLS AT RISK OF CLOSURE
Its share in taxpayer funding will now lift from 67.8 per cent to 75 per cent over 10 years.
Victoria Education Minister James Merlino accepted the deal at the weekend, saying the state had “no choice” but to sign on and provide funding certainty after entering into an interim deal.
More than 350,000 Victorian students faced being locked out of their classrooms in January as the stand-off reached crisis point.
The federal education department will process the bulk payment scheduled July 8,
avoiding any disruptions to Victorian schools.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said it was “welcome news” for the government school sector, as the Victorian government had been a “chronic” underfunder of its government schools on a per student basis.
The needs-based funding model, announced by former PM Malcolm Turnbull in 2017, provides record funding as a proportion of the School Resourcing Standard of 80 per cent for schools and 20 per cent for government schools by 2023.
Funding for Victorian schools will increase from $4.7 billion in 2018 to $6.6 billion in 2023.
In official correspondence with Mr Merlino, seen by the Herald Sun, Mr Tehan reminded Mr Merlino state and territory governments were the predominant funders of government schools.
“The agreement binds the Victorian government to lift funding for government schools,” he wrote.
Mr Tehan said if Victoria wanted to claim to be the “Education State” it could increase funding for government schools to 80 per cent “at any time”.
“You will note that Commonwealth funding for Victorian government schools will increase by 6.7 per cent per student each year for the life of this agreement,” he wrote.
“Victorian Government funding for government schools will increase by 4.19 per cent per student each year for the life of this agreement.”
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