State spending least amount of money on students revealed

Students in one state have the least spent on their education by their government compared to their interstate counterparts, according to a new report.

Students in Victoria are being provided with the least amount of government funding anywhere in Australia, according to a new report.

The data comes from the Report on Government Services which showed that in 2020-21, Victoria spent $11,570 per student across all sectors.

This was lower than NSW ($13,111), Queensland ($11,911) and Western Australia ($13,113).

Opposition spokesman for Education Matt Bach said the figures come after Victorian students endured lengthy terms of remote learning during the pandemic.

“What we desperately need is a solid plan to support Victorian students to be the best they can be,” Dr Bach said.

“That starts by delivering the right amount of funding across all sectors so that no student is left behind.

“Victorian students were locked out of their classrooms longer than all other states and territories, and while Victorian parents pay the most to send their children to school, Daniel Andrews invests the least.”

Victorian students learned remotely for lengthy periods during the pandemic.

The new data is released amid a growing number of Victorian students beginning to refuse to attend school after enduring six lockdowns throughout the pandemic.

The phenomenon is known as school refusal and involves children developing such deep anxiety, they feel unable to attend their classes or campus.

John Chellew, who runs the School Refusal Clinic in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, said he’s seen a doubling in presentations to his clinic since the state’s lockdowns ended in 2021.

“School refusal is a symptom of a mental health problem … so there’s a broader issue,” Mr Chellow told 3AW.

“Two to five per cent of kids all over Australia, and actually across the western world, have anxiety related school avoidance difficulties – that means they’re not getting to school every day”.

In 2020, the Kids Helpline recorded lockdowns and remote learning drove a surge in calls to the service, with higher numbers again in 2021.

More than one quarter of young people who experienced lockdowns met the criteria for experiencing psychological distress in 2020, according to a Mission Australia youth survey.