Prime Minister must come clean on massive funding cut to Victorian public schools

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must come clean about the massive funding cut to Victorian public schools which Labor kept secret in the lead up to the election.

The Prime Minister’s claim in March* that his government “has now reached agreements with every state and territory” flies in the face of a funding deadlock with the Victorian government.

The Prime Minister must be honest with families and stop bending the truth on school funding.

The Albanese Government has known for months the Allan Labor Government secretly ripped $2.4 billion from Victorian state schools – a funding betrayal buried deep in last year’s budget papers as revealed by The Age (“Secret Labor grab for cash pulls $2.4b from schools”, 12 May 2025).

This shameful decision was signed off by Premier Allan after warnings from her own Education Minister that it would prolong inequality and embed Victoria as the lowest funder of public schools in the country.

Worse still, the federal government has reduced its own contribution to Victorian public schools because of this broken commitment – a move quietly confirmed in their bilateral dealings.

Jason Clare’s claims that federal Gonski funding is back on track simply do not hold water considering Victoria’s delayed commitment to reach 75 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard – reportedly three years behind Queensland and six years behind New South Wales.

The Prime Minister must stop hiding behind slogans and come clean.

It is unacceptable the Albanese Government is still refusing to release the full details of its funding deals with the states and territories, despite a Senate order to do so, as well as details of its proposed funding cut to Victorian schools.

Families, teachers, and school communities deserve transparency.

If Labor is serious about equity in education, it must be honest about the deals it’s cutting and the consequences of state Labor governments walking away from their Gonski obligations.

Labor must also confirm the status of its bilateral agreement with Western Australia.  The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2025 statement on 7 April 2025 confirms this was not signed before the caretaker period which is at odds with claims by the Prime Minister and the West Australian Premier on 1 May 2025** that such an agreement had been concluded.

Background notes:

*See Prime Minister’s media release of 24 March 2025 https://www.pm.gov.au/media/all-australian-public-schools-now-path-full-and-fair-funding

**See transcript of 1 May 2025 media conference https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/new-article-1746141971548