The Victorian State Budget was released May 20th, and saw the Victorian Government bring in its first surplus since the COVID-19 pandemic.
For our schools and students, the budget largely saw modest investment to continue existing initiatives, an increase in some cost-of-living measures available to those most in need, as well as new investments in students’ learning.
VicSRC has broken down the budget into key areas students care about.
Cost-of-living Relief
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund will support students and families with the costs of attending camps, excursions, and sporting activities. A payment of $400 per student is available for families with concession cards and is available to students attending government and non-government schools.
VicSRC is pleased to see temporary financial relief being provided to families who need it most. However, we are conscious that this payment does not address the structural barriers impacting equitable access to good quality education for all students, regardless of family income or postcode.
One new budget measure that begins to address cost of living is the provision of free public transport for all children and young people aged under 18. This exciting initiative will empower students to access education through a new youth myki, providing some much-needed relief for families and carers, who previously would pay $755 a year. This is a win for students after many years of joint advocacy across the youth and community sectors.
The introduction of the youth myki and one-off cost-of-living measures help provide some relief for students wanting to engage with education, however students' need funding that prioritises long term structural change, such as reaching full funding per the schooling resource standards in line with the rest of the country.
Addressing the teacher workforce crisis
In its continual efforts to address the teacher workforce shortage, the government has invested $96.7 million over the next four years. This is largely a continuation of existing initiatives, such as supporting flexible working arrangements for school leaders, financial incentives to fill hard-to-staff positions, and supporting staff in the early stages of their career.
Victorian students have been genuinely concerned about the state of the teacher workforce for many years. Students see the impacts of the shortage in their relationships with teachers, with a strain on both their wellbeing and their learning.
While these initiatives are much needed to relieve a workforce under stress, VicSRC hopes to see investment in student voice processes as a core component of Victoria’s approach to address the teacher shortage. Structural student voice processes are a genuine way to alleviate pressures on a resource-strained workforce, as it removes the added step in listening to students’ needs.
Rural and regional students
It is very important that rural and regional students have the same access to high quality education and enrichment opportunities as their peers in Melbourne. This is why VicSRC is pleased to see continued investment of $1.4 million in regional and rural programs, providing access to place-based support for students regardless of where in the state they live.
This, in addition to funding provided to the Warrnambool Tech School, goes some way towards addressing the barriers rural and regional students face in ensuring they receive the same high quality education as their metropolitan peers.
Student mental health and wellbeing
Despite mental health and wellbeing remaining a top priority for Victorian students, there are no new initiatives addressing this in this years’ State Budget. However, VicSRC are pleased to hear that funding for the Mental Health Fund and Menu will be continued. To ensure that these existing initiatives do have impact , they need to directly respond to how student’s currently feel. Despite lots of investment into mental health initiatives, we’ve heard that students still feel like the support doesn’t match their needs. VicSRC hopes this continued funding can go towards initiatives that are flexible and responsive to the changing needs of students. Continuous student involvement in these initiatives is crucial for this.
It’s critical for students to have a real say in decisions around addressing this problem, so it continues to be up to date. VicSRC will continue working on making this possible.
Student behaviour and safety
Instead of investing more funding in proactive student wellbeing measures, the Victorian Government have chosen to invest $9.3 million over the next four years to fund safety training, increased access to security advice and safety supports for teachers and school staff.
While VicSRC acknowledges the need for everybody to feel safe at school, including teachers and school staff who play an invaluable role in the lives and education of students, it is disappointing to see investment in a reactive approach that only responds after a situation has reached crisis point.
Students are impacted by a myriad of factors which can ultimately affect how they show up and engage at school. If school staff do not have the training and expertise to respond to students from an empathetic, trauma-informed perspective, not only are they unlikely to see a positive, long-term change in student behaviour, they also risk causing further harm to potentially vulnerable and marginalised students.
Disability Support
The government is investing $355.8 million over the next four years to improve disability inclusion practices in Victorian government schools. There is also an additional $33.4 million allocated to the disabilities transport program to meet demand. This is a win for accessible and inclusive education.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students
The 2025 State Budget saw investment in funding to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. One example was an additional $17.6 million invested in Closing the Gap for Aboriginal students in VET, and an additional $18.5 million to programs that improve Koorie literacy and numeracy. These initiatives are welcome, but VicSRC encouraged government to ensure these initiatives support self-determination each step of the way, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students know what they need to thrive at school.
Supporting our Most Vulnerable Students
Other budget measures include $15.6 million to continue funding locally driven education programs, such as the Westjustice School Lawyer program, Passions and Pathways program, and the Learning for Life School Family program.
There is a further support for vulnerable students, with $1 million over two years to improve educational outcomes for students in the youth justice system, and $20.7 million over four years towards educational support for students in out-of-home care.
This funding is a start, and it is important we continue to focus on school engagement to support our most vulnerable students.
Senior Secondary education and success at school
We are very pleased to see $27 million of government investment over the next four years in senior secondary reform. This funding goes toward senior secondary pathways reform, including the Victorian Pathways Certificate as well as the coordination and delivery of vocational and applied learning.
This investment also includes support for students who leave school early to enter alternative pathways. We know that students really need this funding, as students have diverse visions for their careers and pathways.
We are also pleased to see expanded funding for the Student Excellence Program. The government is investing $24.6 million over two years in the Victorian High Ability Program, and Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series. These enrichment and extension activities ensure that high-ability students have access to the material and learning environments they require.
Addressing ‘School Can’t’
To address absenteeism or ‘School Can’t’ the government is investing $25.6 million over four years in its Navigator Program. This program supports young people (aged 12 to 17) who need additional support to remain engaged in school.
While investment in this area is promising, VicSRC hopes to see students brought on board to further understand this evolving issue. Students understand the barriers to their engagement with education best and must be heard alongside decision-makers to bring about the most effective outcomes.
As we move forward following budget day, VicSRC are hoping to see student voice feature as an integral part of each area of investment. While the budget speaks to many issues students care deeply about, it is critically important to bring students on board in designing, delivering and evaluating these solutions in practice.
We know that an education system that uplifts the voices of students will lead to better outcomes for everyone. This must include active and meaningful engagement of students across all areas and all levels of decision-making.
VicSRC will continue to work alongside the government through the Department of Education to deliver better student voice practice in policy making. When practiced well, students can be integral partners in education reform.
What's next?
Overall, this year’s budget has seen the Victorian Government continue to invest in areas that students have repeatedly brought to VicSRC’s attention. Despite this, there are still some real gaps in structural reform that must be addressed to bring about equitable access to high quality education for every student.
The government must work collaboratively with students to build a better understanding of their needs and ideas for improvement. The most effective way to provide students with what they need to thrive is to uplift student voice.
When students are left out of the process, government can’t draw on their lived experience to know what will work best. Student voice can help to solve this problem and ensure that investments from the Victorian Government have the impact intended.
Student voice also tells us that the education system is under strain, highlighting student mental health, the teacher shortage, and cost of living. If we want to achieve long-term solutions, we need to make sure that the Victorian education system is strong and resilient by committing to full funding earlier, in line with the rest of the country.
