Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Education system

Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Education. Responding to the government’s $2.4 billion cut to public schools, the president of the Australian Education Union’s Victorian branch said, ‘We are the lowest funded schools in the country. We are the lowest paid teachers in the country. That is going to be a disaster for public school staff and students.’ Does the Minister for Education support cutting public school funding by $2.4 billion, ultimately leaving Victorian public schools almost $3 billion worse off?

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:30): Which state has the best attendance rates in the country? Victoria. Who has the highest performance in the country? Victoria. Who is top of the class for NAPLAN? Victoria. Who has more students and more teachers going into teaching than any other state? Victoria.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I would ask the minister not to incite members in response.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Croydon!

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, I know that we were not very far into it, but the Premier hopeful was debating the question, because it was a very narrow question around the $2.4 billion of cuts to state schools under his watch.

Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! I would like to rule on the point of order, Leader of the House. The Minister for Education has only been on his feet for a short time. I do ask him to come back to the question.

Ben CARROLL: Victoria and our Premier have been unrelenting in getting to 5 per cent from the Commonwealth – not 2.5 per cent but a 5 per cent increase to the student resource standard. Our government, when it comes to recurrent funding, has increased funding by 34 per cent. Next year this government, the Allan Labor government, will open up its 100th brand new school. Add to that 2200 upgrades. Every one of our specialist schools has been upgraded by our Labor government. You know what, when I talk about the $35 billion that has been invested in our education system, 99 per cent has come from the Allan and Andrews Labor governments. The Commonwealth have contributed 1 per cent. We will not be lectured to by those opposite when it comes to investing in education. We have invested more in education than any other previous government. It has been an education revolution under this government. We are not only providing the best NAPLAN results, we are getting on and making sure –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Rowville and member for Narracan! Member for Rowville, you can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: It will be an hour if you continue this attitude.

Member for Rowville withdrew from chamber.

Bridget Vallence: Speaker, I am so shocked by you ejecting the member for Rowville that I have nearly forgotten my point of order.

The SPEAKER: He might be the father of the house, but that does not make him immune.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, I think the minister is defying your ruling to come back to the very narrow question about why, under his watch, public schools will be $3 billion worse off.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Ben CARROLL: The question went to funding, and I have got every right in my answer to go back and talk about the funding we have provided – $35 billion investment, $17 billion in capital. We talk about Gonski – Gonski originally was meant to invest in capital. This government has invested record funding in capital. We know if you want to inspire in students the importance and the relevance of education, they have got to learn in 21st-century environments.

More than that, we know education is the most powerful investment. That is why we have Best Start, Best Life, because 90 per cent of a child’s brain is developed pre prep. That is why we are embedding explicit instruction. It is why we are making sure we have the vocational major. More people in the state of Victoria than any other place on the mainland finish year 12. Our Indigenous rates are the best in the nation. We are getting on and making sure that no matter your postcode, no matter your parents’ bank balance, you will have every opportunity to have a life of purpose under the Allan Labor government in the state of Victoria.

Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:34): Jennifer, a recently retired teacher and former unionist, told ABC Radio Melbourne in response to the cuts:

There’s no reason why I would want to go back into that system … This is devastating for teachers and for the students that they work with.

Will the Minister for Education reverse these cuts, or will Victorian teachers and students continue to be shortchanged as a direct result of Labor’s failure to manage money?

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:35): First and foremost, we could not do the great job we do without world-class teachers. I should remind everyone in this chamber we are the only state to have a Victorian academy of teaching and learning. I got a text message from a friend today who just got his PhD in teaching. We are making sure we back our teachers. We are prioritising and making sure we get more part-time teachers. We are supporting our teaching workforce, and I am committed to working with the union. I met with the union only recently. We have a great working partnership because we know and we back our public school teachers. They have the most important job in society, getting ready for the future –

Jess Wilson: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, it was a very narrow question as to whether the minister will reverse the cuts.

The SPEAKER: I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question. I do remind the minister of the question, but he was being relevant.

Ben CARROLL: The only cuts I have ever had to reverse have been Liberal Party cuts to education. In the Niddrie electorate, my own electorate, Jeff Kennett sold the oval of the autistic school. We have upgraded 84 autistic schools. We get on with the job. The only cuts we reverse are Liberal cuts. What Labor governments do, Liberal governments try to undo.