Thursday 8 November 2018

2 weeks to go until the state election

Education update courtesy of the AEU

This week, we had a significant eight-year commitment from Victorian Labor to build new schools and co-located preschools if they are re-elected. Over the next four years, 24 schools would be built with an additional 55 schools to planned and completed in the following term of government. This is the sort of long-term planning and investment members expect and which our students and their families deserve.

Matthew Guy’s Liberals have made no such commitment to the future of public education.  

When they were last in government, the Liberals did not plan effectively or allocate nearly enough funding. This meant that in 2016 there was not one new public school opened in Victoria, despite a booming school age population. We know from experience that, without a comprehensive plan for new schools, the Liberal party will cram extra students into existing classrooms, driving up class sizes, and overcrowding our existing schools.

We also know there will be 90,000 additional students in our schools over the next four years and we need the next state government to plan for and fund the necessary additional classrooms.

In recent weeks, Labor have announced almost 700 additional teaching positions as well as an extra 190 mental health positions in schools. The Liberals have not committed to any additional teachers or support staff.

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