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The Minister for Education, Phil Gude has said the information presented on the level of funding to Victorian schools in a report of a taskforce from the Anglican Church  is flawed.

Funding cuts did occur out of necessity in 1992-93. Since then the Government has increased funding by half a billion dollars.

"We provide over $140 million a year to support the needs of students in less affluent areas. Schools in so called disadvantaged areas receive more per capita funding than their more affluent counterparts. These are not just the Government's claims, but are borne out by an independent RMIT report by Professor Barry Cooper," Mr Gude said.

Professor Cooper's report showed that the most needy primary school receives over $500 per student and a secondary school $1000 per student more than less needy schools.

The Victorian Government also provides support for parents who are financially disadvantaged through the Education Maintenance Allowance. Victoria's EMA is the highest of any state. In excess of $34 million is now spent on the EMA compared to just $18 million by the previous Labor government.

The Auditor General identified in his recent Ministerial Portfolio Report that the average voluntary fee for Victorian government schools was just $70. Likewise the level of locally raised funds came to just under four per cent of the total funding to schools.

The taskforce's claims on fund raising did not take into account the fact that much of the money identified as locally raised funds includes camps and excursions and money from school canteens - these items generally operate on a break even basis.

Mr Gude said claims the Victorian government underspent on education compared to other states were also ill informed.

The Commonwealth Grants Commission, which adjusts how much each of the states spends on school funding based on size, population density, existing infrastructure and isolation, found Victoria spent almost three per cent more than standardised expenditure.

Commonwealth Grants Commission
Actual Expenditure as a Proportion of Standardised Expenditure Government School Education

(News Release, Minister for Education, September 15, 1998)