Victorian Budget 2022/23: Department of Education and Training

Budget highlights

Early childhood education

$131.2 million to maintain universal access to 15 hours of four-year-old kindergarten. The funding will support kinders to deliver services across the state, including continuing the Ratio Supplement, Small Rural Kindergarten funding, and to meet demand for the Early Childhood Teacher Supplement and Kindergarten Fee Subsidy.

$20.9 million to continue early intervention for vulnerable children, including the Early Childhood LOOKOUT, Access to Early Learning programs and to expand the Kindergarten Fee Subsidy to all children known to child protection and those from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.

$16.9 million to improve outcomes for children with disability or complex medical needs through tailored support to help them participate in kindergarten, including additional kinder staff, specialised training and minor building modifications.

$14.7 million to support the delivery of Kinder Kits for every child enrolled in funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2023 and 2024. Each kit includes books and educational items to support early literacy and help families to engage in children’s learning.

$11.9 million to build inclusive kindergarten services through the successful Building Blocks Inclusion grants program. Grants will be provided to upgrade buildings and playgrounds and buy equipment.

$5.5 million to continue the Early Childhood Language program throughout 2023, including grants to kindergarten services to support the delivery of language programs, along with further professional support and training.

$4 million to extend outreach support for children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to access and engage in kindergarten.

Schools

$131 million to lift student literacy and numeracy outcomes and promote excellence. This funding includes:

• $87.2 million to continue the Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support initiative, which supports students who do not meet the minimum standards in literacy and numeracy
• $27.4 million to support our best teachers to develop their skills and become leaders in teaching excellence at the new Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership

$37 million to continue the Student Excellence Program, which supports high-ability students to reach their potential through enrichment opportunities.

$31.6 million to continue to provide high-quality teaching and learning software to schools.

$23.5 million to increase the number of students supported by the English as an Additional Language program in 2023, in line with growth in enrolments.

$277.5 million to further transform Victoria’s senior secondary system. This investment includes:

• $87.9 million to boost VET teacher, trainer and school capacity to deliver high-quality vocational and applied learning
• $120.2 million to provide a new core vocational offering and make sure every senior secondary student can access quality vocational and applied learning, no matter where they go to school
• $69.4 million for statewide expansion of Head Start apprenticeships and traineeships for government school students

$779 million to recruit 1,900 extra teachers. That means more time for each teacher to prepare and focus on each student and their needs. Weekly face-to-face teaching hours will be reduced by one hour in 2023, then a further half-hour in 2024 for each teacher.

$58.9 million to keep attracting and developing quality teachers in Victorian schools. This includes initiatives to increase the supply of casual relief teachers and financial incentives for teachers willing to relocate to work in Victoria.

$17.1 million to extend the Primary Mathematics and Science Specialists initiative to train an extra 100 government primary teachers as maths specialists, including 25 rural and regional teachers.

$10.1 million to continue and extend the Secondary Mathematics and Science Initiative to train 50 mathematics and 25 science out-of-field teachers in priority curriculum areas.

$28.7 million to build equity and excellence for rural and regional students, through initiatives that support students.

$30.7 million to continue transport assistance through the Students with Disabilities Transport Program, which supports students to attend their government specialist education setting.

$37 million to increase the number of young people supported by the Navigator program for people aged 12 to 17 who are at risk of disengaging or are already disengaged from school, and pilot an earlier intervention program for 10 to 11-year-olds.

$41.3 million to sustain student mental health services for schools. This includes continuing the LOOKOUT program to support engagement of vulnerable children and young people in out-of-home care, continuing the Headspace initiative, and investing $23 million to continue the mental health practitioners in secondary schools initiative in specialist schools.

$20.8 million to continue the Active Schools program to ensure Victorian students have the skills, confidence and motivation to be active for life.

$11.4 million to enhance capacity for health and wellbeing services in schools, including through support for additional school nurses and allied health services.

$5.8 million to improve educational outcomes and experiences for Aboriginal Victorians and to prepare for the forthcoming self-determination in education reforms.

Schools infrastructure

$527.2 million to build 13 new schools that will open in 2024, as well as additional stages at four schools. With a further new school already funded in last year’s budget, 14 new schools will open in 2024. This means that since 2019, 75 new schools have either opened or been funded.

$236.7 million to acquire land in Cardinia, Casey, Greater Geelong, Hume, Melton, Whittlesea and Wyndham for future new schools.

$658.2 million for upgrades and improvements at existing schools. This investment includes:

• $326 million for capital upgrades at 36 special schools across Victoria. This will create modern and safe places for students that attend special schools
• $234 million for capital upgrades to 29 schools across the state that will improve educational outcomes by providing high quality classrooms and facilities
• $56.4 million to expand capacity to meet enrolment demand at two established area schools. The expanded capacity will be ready for the 2025 school year
• $41.8 million for the Minor Capital Works Fund for further high-priority projects from the 2021 round of the program

$92.2 million to be provided for relocatable buildings to relieve pressure at schools that are reaching their capacity, and to provide additional functional spaces for learning.

$247.3 million for essential maintenance and compliance to make sure schools are safe, modern and properly maintained. This includes:

• $120 million for the Planned Maintenance program
• $10 million for the Accessible Buildings program

Training, skills and higher education

This builds on the record investment made to rebuild the TAFE sector, support trainees and apprenticeships and the adult community education sector in recent years. Since 2015, the Victorian Government has delivered more than $3.2 billion to rebuild the TAFE system to ensure Victorians have access to high-quality education and rewarding careers. Thanks to this investment, there were 328,811 enrolments in the Victorian Government funded TAFE and training system in 2021.

The Victorian Government is also supporting universities through the $350 million Victorian Higher Education Investment Fund. This is supporting the sector with capital works, applied research and research partnerships focused on boosting Victoria’s productivity and the economy.

$530 million - TAFE Services Fund - The Budget builds on the new TAFE funding model for 2022 and 2023, which included a $108 million funding boost in December, delivering a 25 per cent increase in funding and taking the Victorian government's TAFE Services Fund investment to $530 million.

This budget includes:

• $12 million to continue crucial targeted support for Victorian apprentices to finish their training through the Apprenticeship Support Officers program. This funding will ensure apprentices continue to have access to dedicated supports, so they can better navigate the journey from apprentice to qualified tradesperson
• $2.8 million to deliver a Certificate IV in Teaching an Australian First Nations Language to help increase the number of Aboriginal language teachers in Victorian kindergartens and schools, building better connections to our country’s heritage
• $4.8 million to add the Diploma in Auslan and the Advanced Diploma of Interpreting (Auslan) to the Free TAFE list, making it easier for students to get the qualifications they need to support Victoria’s deaf community, and also provide a review of TAFE campus accessibility so Victorians of all abilities can access the same opportunities

$81.3 million to continue to create a more coordinated and efficient TAFE system, including:

• $66.6 million to support delivery of the new funding model, so TAFEs are better placed to deliver critical training to Victoria’s students
• $11.3 million to boost the Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery, to better support TAFEs and improve collaboration between TAFEs. Through the better sharing of resources and boosting capabilities, TAFEs will be able to focus on what they do best and that’s delivering world class training for Victorian students
• $5.2 million to support an expansion of the coordination of practical placements for TAFE students. This responds to the challenges experienced in finding suitable work placements that put students’ training into action in the workplace. This is to ensure students are job ready when they complete their course

Victorian Skills Plan

The first ever Victorian Skills Plan is due out later in 2022.

The plan will set out skills in demand for both local communities and industries, for the year ahead and beyond. This will include a focus on the state’s areas of economic growth, so we can deliver the skilled workforce our state needs.

The Victorian Skills Plan will provide a comprehensive forecast of workforce trends, challenges and opportunities and will help us to align our training options with the skills Victoria needs, so Victorian workers can be confident their training leads to great jobs.

Discover more about this year's budget

Victorian Budget 2022/2023

• Budget highlights (2.5MB)

More information

For more information about Budget 2022/23 visit Putting patients first.