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New research shows the urgent need for the full funding of Victorian public schools, with teacher shortages and alarming declines on student and teacher wellbeing having a widespread impact.

New research shows governments are failing to deliver the funding public schools need to educate the rapidly increasing numbers of students with disabilities, with nine out of ten principals saying their school is under-resourced in this area. 

The AEU’s 2024 State of our Schools survey of over 15,000 principals, teachers and support staff reveals: 

Education Ministers meeting in Perth today must make real progress on public school funding with new research revealing the urgent need for the additional investment to lift results and combat debilitating teacher shortages and declining student and teacher wellbeing.

An Australian Education Union survey of 1,255 principals and teachers in WA in March and April this year shows:

Teachers working in Victorian TAFEs will stop work if a Labor member of the Victorian parliament visits their campus as part of industrial action commencing today.

The action is necessary as the Allan Labor government has failed to put a fair and reasonable pay and conditions offer on the table.

“After almost two years of negotiations, TAFE teachers want to know why the Allan Labor government doesn’t value their work and has turned their back on them,” Justin Mullaly, AEU Victorian branch deputy president said.

Industrial action will include: 

Teachers in Victorian TAFEs have voted to take industrial action to fight for pay and conditions that will value their work, address the TAFE teacher shortage, deliver for students and strengthen the Victorian economy.

Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the action was necessary as the Allan Labor government had failed to put an appropriate offer on the table after almost two years of negotiations.

The Australian Education Union today used skywriting above Parliament House in Canberra to deliver a message to the Prime Minister about the need to keep his promise to fully fund public schools.

The message 'Fund our Schools PM' appeared at 11.30am as a reminder of how urgent it is to address the unacceptable situation that sees only 1.3% of public schools fully funded.

More than 50 principals from public schools across the state will take their demands to see public schools fully funded direct to the Allan Labor government today at state parliament.

The principals will meet with around 30 Labor MPs, including the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, at meetings throughout the day to raise their concerns about the challenges in their schools and across the Victorian public school system.

Victorian TAFE teachers are one step closer to industrial action – including possible stop work action – after an application for a protected action ballot was approved by the Fair Work Commission.

The ballot will ask members to endorse a range of possible actions, including bans and limitations on the work performed, and stop work actions.

The Australian Education Union today welcomed news that the NT and Federal Governments are committing to full funding of public schools and said the investment was urgently needed.

AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the current funding situation was shameful with NT public schools receiving the lowest proportion of Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) funding, despite having the highest levels of student need.

The schedule released for public hearings as part of the Victorian parliament’s inquiry into state education is politically biased to National party electorates and excludes the majority of public schools across Victoria, the Australian Education Union Victorian Branch says.