Australian Greens: Greens plan for quality, genuinely free public schools

The Victorian Greens will today launch their plan to ensure all Victorians have access to a high quality, genuinely free local public school.  

The Greens will invest $1.46 billion dollars more than Labor or the Liberals over the next five years into Victoria’s public schools.

The Greens will also push the Federal Government to increase funding so Victorian public schools are funded to 100 per cent of the Gonski recommended funding levels by the start of the 2023 school year.

The extra funding would also help employ more teachers and support staff to lower class sizes, better support disadvantaged students and make public schools genuinely free. 

Victoria currently has some of the lowest-funded public schools in Australia, with Victorian schools being underfunded by around $1 billion dollars each year under the current state and federal school funding agreement. 

Families are having to pay thousands of dollars for what should be a free public education. Under the Greens’ plan, out of pocket costs for ‘voluntary’ fees, subject costs and digital devices would be abolished.

The Greens will also end the uncertainty among school communities by giving them the confidence their school will have the high-quality facilities they need through an independent school building authority, with funding for new schools and upgrades delivered transparently and based on need.

Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens education spokesperson, Sam Hibbins MP:  

“Every family should have access to a high quality, genuinely free, local public school. But parents are having to pay thousands while the state and federal governments leave Victorian schools as some of the lowest funded schools in the country.  

“The Greens will invest more in our local public schools with more teachers, genuinely free public education and better support for disadvantaged students. 

“We’ll end uncertainty for school communities by giving them the confidence their local public school will have the high-quality facilities they need.”