The $400 bonus announced as part of the recent Victorian State Budget will be automatically applied to every single Victorian Government school student, yet strictly means tested for students attending low-fee Catholic and independent schools.
The Nationals have launched a Fair School Bonus campaign to highlight the inequity of the bonus offer.
“So many families are unfairly excluded in the Allan Labor Government’s inequitable School Saving Bonus and it’s time all were given a fair go,” Mr McCurdy said.
“Regional families should not miss out based solely on their choice of school, yet so many will be ignored amid the cost-of-living crisis.
“If the Allan Labor Government is serious in supporting regional Victorians with cost-of-living assistance, they should do it equally,” Mr McCurdy said.
“It’s blatantly unfair. This needs to change as hard-working families are being left behind simply because of their choice of school.”
Executive Director of Catholic Education Sandhurst Ms Kate Fogarty, said the majority of Catholic School families will miss out on this much-needed support across 56 schools in the Sandhurst Diocese, which educate 20,000 (1 in 5) students.
“Our families also face cost-of-living pressures, however, only those who hold healthcare cards (approximately 13%) are eligible for the program,” Ms Fogarty said.
“Like government schools, the majority of our Catholic School families fall within the low and middle-income brackets. Despite being taxpayers, they have been excluded from this initiative.”
Sacred Heart College Yarrawonga Principal Lew Nagle said he was very disappointed with the Premier’s decision.
“Our data illustrates that only 12% of our families will benefit from the state government’s initiative, which is not means tested,” Mr Nagle said.
“Clearly, the need for relief from cost of living pressures extends beyond 12% of taxpayers in our community who chose to send their children to Catholic or independent schools.
“The announcement follows a recent trend of policy making that discriminates against schools in the Catholic sector including paid teaching rounds for pre-service teachers if they choose placement in a government school.”
The Nationals’ Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, is urging regional Victorians to back our new campaign by visiting vicn.at/schoolsavingbonus
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