Youthlaw has today given evidence to the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Public School Funding, warning that the decision to delay raising public school funding to 75% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) until 2031 will have serious consequences for children and young people experiencing disadvantage.
The decision effectively removes $2.4 billion from funding previously committed to Victorian public schools and risks accelerating school disengagement, exclusion and contact with the criminal legal system.
Youthlaw’s submission calls on the Victorian Government to raise public school funding to 75% of Gonski’s Schooling Resource Standard by 2028. All other state and territory governments have made this commitment.
Through our work providing holistic legal and social work support to young people in and leaving out-of-home care, children facing intervention orders, children at risk of school exclusion, and young people experiencing homelessness, family violence and poverty, Youthlaw sees firsthand how underfunding public schools acts as a critical catalyst for children being pushed out of education and into the criminal justice system.
“Underfunding public schools pipelines at-risk children away from algebra classes and school musicals and towards police vans and prison cells,” said Lee Carnie (they/them), Youthlaw’s CEO.
The link between school disengagement and incarceration is well e‑stablished. In 2019, 68% of children in youth prisons had previously been suspended or expelled from school.[i] Youthlaw told the inquiry that inadequate public school funding increases the likelihood of children disengaging from education, becoming criminalised and missing out on critical early intervention supports.
Youthlaw also raised concerns about the increasing use of the justice system to manage school‑based behavioural issues. In its family violence practice, Youthlaw regularly hears about schools advising parents to seek intervention orders to address issues such as bullying, including involving children as young as 12. In many cases, children do not understand the conditions of intervention orders or the serious criminal consequences of breaching them.
“Public schools need the resources to support children address behaviours of concern and stay in concern, without resorting to the criminal justice system,” Lee Carnie said. “Delaying additional school funding will further erode schools’ ability to do this.”
Youthlaw told the inquiry that properly funded public schools are essential early intervention settings – enabling schools to retain experienced teachers, support students with complex needs, and partner with community‑based programs, including school lawyer programs delivered with local community legal centres.
“Adequately funding public schools is not just an education or workplace issue. It is a decision that affects whether children can recover safely from violence, learn from their mistakes, and have an equal opportunity to grow and thrive – regardless of their postcode, the school they attend, or how much money their parents make.”
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About Youthlaw
Youthlaw is Victoria’s statewide specialist community legal centre for children and young people under 25. Youthlaw co-convenes Smart Justice for Young People and advocates for evidence‑based policies that keep children connected to school and out of the criminal legal system.
Media contact: Casey Dean (she/her), Youthlaw Media & Communications Lead on 0494 614 506 or [email protected]
[i] Working Together Action Plan, October 2023, Smart Justice for Young People