#bracks

Inktober Day 3 - Poison

Schools $800m short, says Labor

Henrietta Cool Josh Gordon Benjamin Preiss

More than $800 million of state money earmarked for Victorian schools has disappeared into a black hole, the Andrews govern- ment has claimed.

 A week before the state budget, Education Minister James Merlino has accused the former Coalition government of diverting $800 mil- lion of funding set aside under the Gonski school funding agreement for the 2016 and 2017 school years into prison beds and “their own priorities”.

 “When you have an immediate black hole of $800 million-plus election commitments that we will deliver on, thatʼs our first priority,” Mr Merlino said. “Dealing with the mess of the former Liberal govern- ment is our first priority.”

 The government will announce on Tuesday they former premier Steve Bracks will head a review examining school funding.

 The state opposition has previ- ously strenuously denied short- changing state schools when in government.

 Mr Merlino said finding the funds to fill the short fall in the May 5 budget would be a challenge.

 Asked if he was hosing down ex- pectations for funding in the state budget for the final two years of the Gonski agreement, Mr Merlino said he did not want to “pre-empt the budget”.He said he was “abso- lutely committed to Gonski” but did not explicitly say he would fund the final two years of the agree- ment.

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@3AW693: "VIDEO: Former Premier Steve Bracks defends #Myki, #Desal & smart metres during a grilling from @3awNeilMitchell http://bit.ly/OF4Ddt"