Catholic and independent schools have been given a major pre-election promise, with the Andrews government pledging to boost their funding and cut red tape so that new schools can be built faster.
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The Labor government said on Monday it would give $400 million over four years to the private school sector.
The sum more than triples the $120 million the Andrews government has invested in non-government schools since 2014.
It also spares the government a potentially damaging pre-election stoush with the Catholic sector, which recently accused Labor of “starving” it of funds for capital works.
The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria has form when it comes to getting involved in elections, and during the Batman byelection it rolled out robo-calls and sent letters to parents urging them to shun the Greens.
The money will go towards building schools and upgrading existing ones, including the removal of asbestos and dangerous cladding.
It will be split between the two sectors based on enrolments, with about 70 per cent going to Catholic schools and 30 per cent to independent schools.
Unlike previous arrangements, Catholic and private schools will not be required to match the state government's investments in their buildings. But they will be required to make some contribution.
A new unit within the Department of Planning will fast-track approvals for the construction of non-government schools.
The demand for schools is expected to grow by 90,000 students by 2022. More than one-third of students in Victoria attend private schools.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Education Minister James Merlino visited Corpus Christi Primary School in Glenroy on Monday to announce the changes.
Under the plan, they said, the school would receive a $1 million grant from the fund to improve classrooms and outdoor play areas.
Mr Andrews said non-government schools were an indispensable part of the state education sector.
“We simply couldn’t educate all of our kids across Victoria without our partnership with Catholic schools and other independent schools,” he said.
Planning changes are expected to hasten the delivery of private schools in growth suburbs, an approval process Mr Merlino said could often take much longer than for state schools.
The new unit in the Department of Planning will process approvals for new schools and upgrades of non-government schools, which currently require approval from local councils.
“Parents with young families in our growth corridors, in our regional cities, in our inner suburbs, they want the choice to send their child to a great government school, a great Catholic school or great independent school,” Mr Merlino said.
Stephen Elder, executive director of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, joined the government in Glenroy for the announcement of the funding promise.
He said the pledge would relieve pressure on parents to raise funds to upgrade their children’s schools.
“Catholic schools fund most of the capital themselves through parents and these parents here [at Corpus Christi] said maybe we can back off a little bit on the fund-raising activities that they undertake,” Mr Elder said.
“That’s the pressure that’s on them to build facilities and to have those little extras.”
Independent Schools Victoria chief executive Michelle Green welcomed the news, saying it would particularly help schools in new and expanding suburban growth areas.
"We know that Melbourne is experiencing rapid population growth, and there is increasing demand by parents for independent education in these growing communities," she said.
But the announcement was met with outrage by public education advocates, who are still reeling from recent federal government changes that will deliver an additional $4.6 billion to Australian private schools.
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the funding would be better spent on state schools.
“We are disappointed with this announcement,” she said. “It’s a lot of money.”
While she said the state government had injected record amounts of funding into state schools, a good track record was not enough.
“We would expect to see a significant investment in the government sector,” she said.
The union has previously criticised legislation introduced into Parliament by the Andrews government that guarantees non-government schools at least 25 per cent of the funding that state school students receive.
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Sue Bell said unlike private schools, which charged fees, state schools relied on the state government for capital works funding.
“School communities will be really disappointed if they see private and Catholic schools building more swimming pools with adjustable floors when there are still government schools that have received no additional funding for upgrades,” she said.
The opposition’s education spokesman Tim Smith remained tight-lipped about what funding the Coalition might pledge for non-government schools.
“The Liberals and Nationals support choice, and education is a fundamental principle of our party,” he said. “We will have more to say about Labor’s funding proposal at a later time.”
