Cost-of-Living relief for 700,000 Victorian families with $400 school savings bonus payment

Hundreds of thousands of Australian families are set to share $280 million in cost-of-living relief payments.

Approximately 700,000 Victorian families will receive a $400 School Saving Bonus, rolling out this week.

The bonus will help families with the cost of textbooks, uniforms, camps, excursions, and other school activities.

Families do not need to apply for the bonus and will instead receive an email giving them access to their $400 per child.

Parents can apply to use the bonus as a voucher for uniforms or textbooks, or add it to their school account for extracurricular activities such as camps or excursions.

The vouchers can be redeemed at local or approved online retailers and are valid until June 30 next year.

Unused vouchers will be automatically transferred to a family’s school account.

Families with multiple children will receive a bonus for each child.

For children attending non-government schools, the vouchers will be given directly to the schools and managed by the school and families.

“Families want the best for their kids,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said.

“The best education, the right textbook, a fresh uniform, the camps and excursions they’ll remember forever.

“It’s why our School Saving Bonus is helping give kids a great start to the school year — and their parents one less thing to worry about.”

The bonus is designed to prevent children from missing out on essentials, but also to ensure they are able to enjoy extra-curricular activities as part of their education.

“This is about making sure young Victorians have everything they need at school — plus all of the added extras that make learning fun,” Melton Labor MP Steve McGhie said.

Inquiry recommends fewer teacher handouts

The new bonus follows an inquiry recommendation last month that the state’s education system stop paying teachers to move to regional areas for the short term and focus on long-term staff instead.

Victoria’s Targeted Financial Incentives program aims to make teaching in rural and regional schools more attractive.

Teachers who sign up for the two-year deal are paid an incentive of up to $50,000, before tax, and are also entitled to annual retention payments after the second, third and fourth years of employment.

The inquiry report found the scheme led to high teacher turnover as some moved between schools for financial gain without integrating into local communities.

It also caused resentment among long-term, loyal teachers who felt undervalued because of the pay inequity brought about by the scheme.

The payments have been quite divisive in schools, leaving long-term staff feeling devalued, Australian Principals Federation Victorian branch president Tina King said.

Virtual Schools Victoria teacher Cindy Grocott questioned how schools could retain experienced, loyal and long-term staff when less experienced teachers were being paid so much more.

“If I take (the Victorian town of) Ouyen as an example, someone might get paid an extra $50,000 to go and teach at Ouyen. What about the teachers who have been there for 20 years?” Grocott told the inquiry.

“Someone comes in and they are earning, like, $150,000, when these people who have been there and stood the test of time and been loyal to the school do not get that.”

The scheme is projected to cost the state government $27 million over the 2024–2025 financial year.

Comparatively, NSW offers $20,000 and Queensland offers $32,000 in teaching incentives.

-With AAP