January 2025 E-Newsletter

School ‘s back for 2025. I hope it is a year of growth and discovery for all students, teachers and parents in Higgins. Visiting schools and talking to all members of school communities is one of my favourite activities as your MP. 

Labor knows that building Australia’s future means investing in the next generation, so I am pleased to give you information on the new funding agreement for Victorian public schools.  

The Albanese Labor Government and Victorian Government have come to an historic agreement that will put all public schools in Victoria on a path to full and fair funding.  

This new agreement ties new funding to reforms to help lift student outcomes and improve school funding transparency. 

The Albanese Government has put an estimated $16 billion of additional investment for public schools on the table. This is the biggest ever increase in Australian Government funding to public schools ever delivered.  

As part of the agreement, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to Victorian public schools. This will lift the Commonwealth’s contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034. 

The Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) is an estimate of how much total public funding a school needs to meet its students’ educational needs. It is based on recommendations made in the 2011 Gonski Review of schools funding.  

The agreement will see $2.5 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to Victorian public schools over the next 10 years. 

This represents the biggest investment in Victorian public schools by the Australian Government – ever. The changes also ensure that funding for public schools cannot go backwards without changing the law – not easy for future governments to fiddle.  

Historically, the Commonwealth has been limited to providing 20% of funding to public schools while State Governments have picked up 75%, leaving a funding gap of 5%. This gap has been muddied by States claiming tax breaks for building works as their share of the gap – a provision introduced by the former Liberal Government. This provision masked the true amount of funding that was actually going towards teaching.  We have removed this provision altogether so that the funding goes towards delivering better educational outcomes and teacher wellbeing. Victoria will replace it with 4% of recurrent funding on eligible expenses, while maintaining a contribution of 75% of the SRS for public schools. 

Overall, this agreement will lift the Commonwealth’s contribution from 20 to 25% of the School Resource Standard by 2034. Victorian public schools are on track to be fully funded in the spirit of Gonski.  

This is not a blank cheque. The Agreement will tie funding to changes that will help students catch up, keep up and finish school, such as:  

• Early intervention with a Year 1 phonics check commencing this year and an early years numeracy check  

• Targeted supports such as small group or catch-up tutoring for students who fall behind 

• Access to mental health professionals in schools to support wellbeing 

• Access to professional learning and development for teachers and school leaders 

• Changes that improve the attraction and retention of teachers including rewarding and recognising experienced teachers to work in high needs schools. 

In addition, the following national targets will be included:  

• Increasing the number of students leaving school nationally with a Year 12 certificate by 7.5 percentage points by 2030 

• Reducing the number of students in the NAPLAN ‘Needs Additional Support’ proficiency level for reading and numeracy nationally by 10 per cent. 

• Increasing the number of students in the ‘Strong’ and ‘Exceeding’ proficiency levels for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent by 2030 Increasing the Student Attendance Rate, nationally, to 91.4 per cent (2019 level) by 2030 

• Increasing the engagement rate (completed or still enrolled) of initial teacher education students by 10 percentage points to 69.7 per cent by 2035. 

This means more help for students and more support for teachers 

The Minister will report to the Australian parliament every year on how federal money is being spent  

• There will be a new public reporting dashboard  

• There will be requirements for States and Territories to outline how the additional money is being invested in the key reform areas.  

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “Labor knows that education opens the doors of opportunity and we want to make sure we widen them.”  
 

Commonwealth Minister for Education Jason Clare: “This is real funding tied to real reforms to help students catch up, keep up and finish school.” 
 

Australian Education Union Victorian Branch president, Justin Mullaly: “Full funding, with an increased contribution from the Commonwealth, means Victorian public school students will have more support to achieve to their full potential.” 
 

For Every Child (Fully Fund Public Schools Group): “Teachers know the importance of this funding, and the need for it to be rolled out as quickly as possible because of the difference it will make in classrooms, and parents understand the importance of teachers being supported to do their jobs well.” 
 

The agreement has been welcomed by sector organisations including Parents Victoria and the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO). 

 

Starting school, and/or returning to school can also be stressful for students. We have developed the following resources to support student resilience and wellbeing. Please share:  

• Student Resilience and Wellbeing Resources  

• Student Wellbeing Hub  

• Be You – national education initiative for mental health . 

It also includes links to resources and information to help combat bullying behaviour.  

• Cyberbullying  

• Bullying No Way. 

Meritorious Awards 

Expressions of Interest close at 4:00pm on Monday 17 February 2025.  

Expressions of interest can be submitted through this form. 

The Stronger Communities supports the Australian Government’s commitment to deliver social benefits in communities across Australia by funding projects in each of the 151 Federal electorates. 

Grants of between $2,500 and $20,000 are available for small capital works or small infrastructure projects. Eligible projects must be in Higgins and bring social benefit to the wider community. 

Grant funding will be up to 100% of eligible project costs for all eligible applicants, except for local governing bodies. Grant funding for local governing bodies will be up to 50% of eligible project costs.  

For full information on programme objectives, eligibility and the application process please visit my website here. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with my office at [email protected] or on 03 9822 4422. 

Pongal Celebrations

The recent Pongal (or harvest) Festival was an opportunity to bring together the Tamil diaspora from India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Fiji and elsewhere. 

As the first Tamil member of the Federal Parliament, it was an honour to share this celebration. There are around 150,000 Australians of Tamil heritage in Australia, many of whom, like me, have grown up disconnected from our ancestral roots.  

I thank the community leaders who organised the events I attended in Caulfield and Pakenham. These celebrations enable Tamil Australians to connect with each other and keep the culture alive. 

Stonnington Citizenship Ceremony

Australia Day is a time to celebrate all that we love about our country.  

On 26 January I had the privilege of performing one of the most rewarding parts of my job – welcoming new citizens who have chosen to call Australia home. 

My dedication to Victorians’ health and wellbeing is the reason I’ll be running for the Australian Senate in 2025. I will bring reason and pragmatism to Parliament, so that a second term Labor Government can pass changes that matter to Victorians. 

“You don't conquer the future with press releases or personalities but with policies for today and tomorrow."   

Follow my socials for good news.

I remain the Federal Member for Higgins until the next election. Please contact my office for assistance with any Commonwealth Government matters. 
 

Address: Suite 1.03, Level 1, 261 to 271 Wattletree Road Malvern 3144 

Phone: 03 9822 4422 

Email address: [email protected]