The federal budget was released on Tuesday 25th March, which reiterated the government’s commitment to fully fund all government schools across Australia by 2034, as part of what Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers called “investing in every stage of education”.
The federal and Victorian state governments had already committed to fully funding government schools and closing ‘accounting loopholes’ in Victoria in January this year. The full funding is set by the School Resourcing Standing, set out in the initial Gonski review 15 years ago. VicSRC called this a “big win” for students in the state, but noted that students currently enrolled in secondary and primary school will miss the full benefits of this change. With the federal budget announcement, this is now extended to all students across the country.
The 2024 Congress Report named full funding according to the School Resource Standard and the closing of accounting loopholes* as a key recommendation reflecting Victorian students’ continuous concern over school funding. However, the 2024 Congress report recommended that full funding was achieved by 2028 so students could see the benefits as soon as possible. The full funding agreement as it stands will miss a generation of students.
Tilly (she/her), a 2025 Executive Committee member and independent school student, is pleased to see this budget announcement, and sees it as a win for all students, though she notes the wait a lot of students will experience.
“While the commitment to fully fund government schools is a great step in the right direction, it’s important that students are involved in shaping the changes happening now—so today’s students can also benefit from a better education system.”
More investment in student voice practices is key to ensure improved education outcomes for students today. We know from the 2024 VicSRC Congress report that secondary pathway reform and addressing the teacher shortage is crucial in addressing current issues. We must continue to listen to students, schools, and communities to hear what they need now.
The Victorian Student Representative Council is happy to see other positives for education in the budget, for example continued support for free TAFE which will assist students in vocational pathways to achieve their goals.
The Victorian Student Representative Council will be looking forward to the state budget in May, where we tend to see more education spending for Victoria, with the hope that the state budget addresses a number of important issues such as a greater focus on early secondary reform, the ongoing teacher shortage, student safety, and school enrichment activities like camps and excursions.
VicSRC’s CEO Julia Baron (she/her) looks forward to a state budget that “recognises there's plenty of work to be done right now.”
“This starts with investing in new ways to ensure that students are directly involved in Victoria's ongoing reform work. This includes secondary education, transition pathways, assessments, and the inclusion and safety of all students at school.”
You can read the entirety of the Congress Report with all recommendations here.
*Before the agreement, as things like school buildings and equipment lose value each year, then each year money was technically being ‘lost’.
This loophole meant that since money was lost, then money by the different governments was already being ‘spent’.
This technicality meant that a lot less money was going directly to schools and students. You can read more on these loopholes and what they mean here.
