A petition opposing disability support cuts in Victorian schools has attracted more than 25,000 signatures, as the Australian Education Union condemned proposed changes affecting thousands of students and called on Premier Ben Carroll to intervene.
The Victorian Government has told state schools that funding for the taxpayer-funded Disability Inclusion program will be reduced by 2.5 per cent from Term 1 next year. Support for about 7,000 students will also be paused for two years.
Students with disability in mainstream schools are expected to receive $3,400 less each year for measures including classroom assistance and curriculum adjustments.
The Disability Inclusion program forms part of a $1.9 billion school disability funding model and is aimed at pupils with complex learning and wellbeing needs. The union and school principals say they were not consulted about the changes.
Justin Mullally, president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union, said the cuts would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars being removed from disability provision in public schools.
“It’s completely unacceptable, it’s reprehensible and the premier needs to step in,” he said.
Victorian Government says support will remain available
The Government says the proportion of disability funding being directed to public schools has become unsustainable, with almost one in three government school students now receiving some form of assistance.
Victorian Education Minister Gabrielle Williams said individual support should be focused on pupils with the most acute needs and remain financially sustainable.
“I want to assure them (families) that if their child is currently accessing individual support and no longer meets the threshold, a transition plan will take place over two years,” she said.
“We will make sure student needs continue to be met through the ecosystem of other supports available.”
The Government said overall disability funding for schools was increasing and was on track to reach $2.2 billion by 2029. Mr Mullally argued that the claimed increase did not account for the growing number of students with disability in the education system.
“What they’re doing is cutting their cloth to the inadequate amount of money they’ve allocated in their budget,” he said. “They needed to do better, they needed to allocate an adequate amount of money to meet the needs of all children who would be eligible for funding.”
He said the announcement had come as principals were preparing their 2027 budgets and expecting funding increases rather than reductions.
The union’s petition passed 25,000 signatures in less than 48 hours, with Mr Mullally saying it had been signed by teachers, education support staff, school leaders, parents and members of the wider community.
Pressure is mounting on Mr Carroll to respond before the Victorian Government enters caretaker mode on Tuesday evening.
