Almost 50 Victorian private schools to take up federal government ‘bribe’

Almost 50 private schools across Victoria have agreed to return to on-site learning by June 1, in order to access federal funding early.

It comes after the federal government announced it would bring forward a quarter of annual funding to private schools which return to on-campus learning this term.

General Secretary of Independent Education Union Victoria, Deb James, criticised the federal government for the offer, which she dubbed a “bribe” to “skirt around the Victorian processes”.

“The Prime Minister had also said, prior to the bribe, that schools should have regard for their Premier in relation to a return to the school environment,” she told 3AW’s Tom Elliott.

“Right now, in Victoria … the advice is that schools should not go back.”

But Ms James said Victorian schools “may well be back” by June.

“I suppose only time will tell if they’re doing the right thing,” she said.

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