Premier

Labor Government Welcomes Bracks Review Interim Report

05 September 2015

Minister for Education James Merlino today welcomed the release of an interim report as part of an independent review into Victoria’s education funding.

The review, led by former Premier the Hon Steve Bracks AC, was commissioned by the Andrews Labor Government in response to the cuts and funding uncertainty created by the previous Victorian Liberal Government and current Federal Liberal Government.

The previous Liberal Government left an $800 million black hole in state Gonski funding across the 2016 and 2017 school years, while Tony Abbott ripped $1 billion in funding from Victorian students by walking away from years 5 and 6 (2018 and 2019) of the Gonski Agreement.

After meeting with stakeholders, visiting schools across the state and taking online submissions from the public, Mr Bracks has released an interim report outlining issues and ideas from the first round of consultation.

The findings of the interim report include that:

  • Victorians want to have trust and confidence in our education funding system, and want to understand it better
  • Families expect greater transparency from governments about funding decisions and school budget allocations
  • We need a system that provides funding to schools based on what students need to obtain a high quality education
  • More can be done to better meet the needs of students, particularly the most disadvantaged

The interim report completes the initial phase of the review. Further work will be done on the options available for reform, followed by a final round of consultations.

Mr Bracks will deliver the final report to the Labor Government in late 2015. The interim report can be viewed at educationstate.education.vic.gov.au/school-funding-reviewExternal Link

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino

“The Government welcomes this important work, and looks forward to receiving the final Bracks Review report later in the year. It will inform our budget decisions beyond 2017.”

“Our kids and our schools need a funding system which supports them to reach their full potential, they deserve nothing less.”

“The Liberals cut our schools and left them with funding uncertainty. We’re working to ensure that Victorian students and families can have trust and confidence in our education system.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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