Articles in today’s Age and Herald-Sun focus on the issue of under-funding of Victorian schools.
The Age article begins:
Parents, teachers and principals at Victorian public schools are being forced to spend their own money to fill funding gaps, as school allocations per child continue to lag way below the rest of the nation.
Average state government funding per student in Victoria was $3600 less than in NSW in 2023-2024, according to the latest data from the Productivity Commission, with the underfunding straining household budgets.
Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in the article as follows:
Parents Victoria chief Gail McHardy said families were increasingly being asked to pay for basics.
“These aren’t optional extras. This is cost-shifting caused by chronic underfunding,” she said.
“We are hearing about parents struggling to pay or contribute even when they would like to. Cost-of-living pressures are real, and many families simply can’t afford to keep covering funding gaps.”
The Herald-Sun article also discusses the impact on teachers, with “one Melbourne primary school teacher revealing she pays hundreds of dollars of her own money each year to support students.” According to the article, “A Herald Sun analysis of top government school bills reveals an increasing number of ‘other contributions’ are making their way onto parent payment letters, often lumped into one big fee parents assume they have to pay.”
The article also quotes Gail McHardy, as follows:
Parents Victoria chief Gail McHardy said parents were frustrated and angry they’ve been left to “plug the funding gaps year after year”.
“Schools are increasingly asking families to pay for basics that should be covered by government funding — staffing, maintenance, IT systems and even financial hardship support,” she said.
“This isn’t optional ‘extras’; it’s cost-shifting driven by underfunding.”
Ms McHardy said asking parents to fund staff payroll or donate to support other students was “a clear sign the system is broken”.
“Public education is meant to be free and universally accessible — not reliant on parents’ capacity to pay or their goodwill,” she said.
Articles in today’s Age and Herald-Sun focus on the issue of under-funding of Victorian schools.
The Age article begins:
Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in the article as follows:
Read the full Age article (subscription only)
The Herald-Sun article also discusses the impact on teachers, with “one Melbourne primary school teacher revealing she pays hundreds of dollars of her own money each year to support students.” According to the article, “A Herald Sun analysis of top government school bills reveals an increasing number of ‘other contributions’ are making their way onto parent payment letters, often lumped into one big fee parents assume they have to pay.”
The article also quotes Gail McHardy, as follows:
Read the full Herald-Sun article (subscription only)
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