Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (23:51): (2224) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education. I rise to draw attention to the severe and immediate impact caused by the removal of the complexity allowance, a Labor government decision that has left many rural and regional schools, including East Loddon P–12 College, Murrayville Community College and a further 45 schools across regional Victoria facing unexpected and damaging budget cuts. I have spoken with the principal of East Loddon college and the CEO of the Country Education Partnership and received correspondence from the principal of Murrayville Community College, and I thank my colleague Ms Benham in the other chamber, who I know has advocated for the school and many others and called on the government to reinstate the funding.

With just a couple of days notice, these schools were informed of budget cuts of up to $100,000 over the next few years, with some schools losing up to $25,000 overnight from their school budgets without warning, consultation or transition planning. For small rural schools this is not a minor adjustment. It is a direct threat to their ability to operate effectively. The Labor government is cutting the complexity allowance from school budgets under the student resource package, and the impact is being felt by schools.

I will read from a letter provided by Murrayville Community College. It says:

Our school is a small and successful college serving a remote community and we do not understand why colleges like ours, which performs such an important role in our community, have been singled out for a reduction in the SRP. We have never been wasteful with our resources and have been able to use them extremely effectively to achieve excellent student outcomes in the past.

I understand that schools have since been advised by the government that they can go $50,000 into deficit to cover costs. This is not just a funding cut. It is encouraging schools to use a credit card, and it pushes the problem down the road. The impacts are already being felt. Principals have reported that these cuts will reduce subject offerings for students, limiting access to essential senior pathways and elective choices; increase pressure on already overworked teachers, who will be forced to shoulder additional responsibilities due to reduced staffing capacity; compromise student support programs, particularly those designed for vulnerable or high-need students; and undermine long-term planning for staffing wellbeing programs and curriculum delivery.

These rural and regional schools already face significant disadvantage due to isolation, small cohorts and the challenge of attracting and retaining staff. The complexity allowance existed precisely to recognise these pressures, and the action I seek is for the minister to reverse this decision and reinstate the complexity allowance for P–12 schools in Northern Victoria and the rest of the state.