SCHOOL STUDENTS ABOUT TO RECEIVE MORE FUNDING

THE Turnbull Government’s schools funding overhaul delivers an additional $3.75 billion to Victorian schools over the next decade, contrary to claims by some groups fees need to rise because of ‘cuts’ (Private fees set to jump, GA 25/11).

Funding for Victorian government schools will increase from $1.53 billion this year to $1.68 billion next year and $3.18 billion by 2027. We’re growing funding for Victorian Catholic schools from $1.83 billion this year to $1.93 billion next year to $3 billion in 2027 and Independent schools see their funding grow from $971 million this year up to $1.05 billion next year and $1.91 billion by 2027.

We’re delivering significant funding growth across every school sector in Victoria. On average we’re boosting our investment by 5.3 per cent for each government school student each year over the next decade, 3.6 per cent for each Catholic school student and 4.3 per cent for each Independent school student.

In the case of non-government schools that are part of a ‘system’ of schools administered by a central body like the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, we pay our funding for those schools in a lump sum to that central body and then they have full autonomy to decide exactly how the money is carved up amongst their schools.

Given that we’re injecting an extra $1.17 billion into Victoria’s Catholic schools, talk of fee increases would cause many people to ask, ‘where is the money going?’ Senator Simon BIrmingham, Minister for Education and Training