There were many positive announcements by the Victorian Government yesterday for people with disability in the State Budget. However, we are disappointed that after committing to achieving inclusive education with the recent announcement of the needs-based funding model, the Victorian Government has announced $388m to be spent on “special schools”. Segregated education is NOT inclusive education!
We have included below some of the positive announcements from the Victorian State Budget:
- $5.3 billion for social housing
- $1.6 billion for school disability funding (see media release on “inclusive education”
- $1.48 billion for 100 new accessible trams to retire the ageing A and Z Class trams
- $870 million in funding for mental health
- $320 million for upgrades to health facilities across the state
- $120 million for in-home services like dialysis, palliative care and chemotherapy
- $20 million for continuing negotiations on a treaty with Victoria’s First Nations people
- 3,000 publicly-funded autism assessments to improve access to early intervention
- $60 million for youth mental health, including early intervention and suicide prevention
- $20 million for inclusive learning spaces and accessible playgrounds
