Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Ministers statements: education funding

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:35): On this side of the chamber we know education opens the door of opportunity, and on this side of the chamber we are committed to opening those doors. Building Victoria’s future means investing in the next generation. Building Victoria’s future means building the schools, houses and transport networks that we know Victorians need. In January this year I and the Premier joined the Prime Minister to announce $2.5 billion extra funding for our government schools, focusing on individualised support and mandating evidence-based teaching and more mental health support in our schools. The Allan Labor government’s record speaks for itself. We are opening 100 new schools next year – compared to what they promised back in 2018, only four new schools – and with the 2200 upgrades that is about 90,000 additional places, or one AFL Grand Final’s worth, or for the member for Nepean like the Australian Open’s first week.

What Labor governments do, Liberal governments undo. Imagine waking up on 4 May with Sarah Henderson as the federal education minister and no department of education, because the Leader of the Opposition Mr Dutton last night said on Sky News:

… the Commonwealth government does not own or run a school, which is why people ask, ‘Well, why have you got a department of thousands and thousands of people in Canberra called the education department if we don’t have a school and don’t employ a teacher …

Sound familiar? A bit Temu Trump? We know well and truly what Peter Dutton will do. He will rip out the $2.5 billion. Sarah Henderson –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, again, in Rulings from the Chair, page 156, Speaker Maddigan was quite clear about being hypothetical in relation to future federal governments. It is out of order to discuss this and how it might affect the state, because it is hypothetical.

The SPEAKER: I do ask the minister to be mindful of Rulings from the Chair in relation to future federal governments.

Ben CARROLL: The only public school I am aware of that Sarah Henderson has visited was one to protest against gender-neutral toilets. We know what is at stake. An Allan Labor government and an Albanese Labor government investing in our future – building the transport, the housing and the next generation – or a Dutton Liberal government and the member for Kew focused on the non-government school sector making sure our needier schoolkids are left behind.