The Andrews Labor Government is calling on the Morrison minority Government to fund Victorian schools and kindergartens fairly, to ensure that no child misses out on their education.
The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has proposed a dud school funding deal which means Victorian public school kids miss out on about $800 million over the next three years - the equivalent of 2000 extra teachers.
He’s also failed to provide certainty to some of our youngest Victorians, refusing to fund four-year old kindergarten beyond the end of this year.
The Federal Budget provides Scott Morrison the opportunity to finally address the Liberals’ unfair approach to funding schools and uncertain approach to funding kindergartens.
The Labor Government has invested $10.8 billion in making Victoria the Education State. This investment has delivered Victoria’s best ever NAPLAN results in reading and numeracy in 2018, showing the impressive outcomes that can be achieved when education is a government priority.
Under Scott Morrison’s dud school funding deal, public school kids would be unfairly targeted, with less funding than private school kids.
In early childhood education, unless federal funding is committed for 2020 and beyond, kindergarten hours will be at risk and parents may face higher fees because the Liberals are failing to guarantee funding for kinder.
In stark contrast, the Labor Government will be the first in Australia to deliver a universal 15 hour per week kindergarten program for three-year-olds. This will be progressively rolled out from 2020, thanks to an investment of close to $5 billion over the next decade.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“The Federal Budget is an opportunity for the Morrison minority Government to finally provide fair funding for Victorian schools and kinders.”
“Scott Morrison wants to fund public school kids less than private school kids and rip funding away from our kinders.”
“It simply isn’t good enough – he needs to reverse his cuts to schools and guarantee funding for kinders to provide the fair funding all of our kids deserve.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020