Victorians will go to the polls on Saturday 28 November 2026 to elect the next Victorian Parliament. The election will help determine the future direction of education policy and funding across Victoria.
Catholic schools educate more than 218,000 Victorian students, serving around 160,000 families across 494 schools.
The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) represents Catholic schools across Victoria and advocates for policies that support accessible, affordable and high-quality Catholic education.
Ahead of the election, VCEA has written to Premier Ben Carroll and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson seeking formal commitments on five key Catholic education priorities.
These priorities build on our longstanding advocacy for Catholic schools and address funding certainty, school infrastructure, payroll tax, planning reform and early learning.
Our schools make a significant contribution to Victoria’s education system. We are seeking commitments that will provide funding certainty, support new and upgraded facilities and help meet the needs of growing communities.
Catholic school communities deserve clarity about what the major parties are prepared to deliver.
To help inform school communities, VCEA will publish a Catholic Education Election Scorecard comparing the commitments of the Labor Government and Liberal-National Coalition against our five priorities.
The scorecard will be published in November, ahead of the state election.
Our five Catholic education priorities
Catholic schools are seeking support for five policies that will deliver fair funding, better facilities, more student places and additional early learning opportunities.
- Recurrent funding certainty: Protect the 25 per cent linkage and rule out cuts: Retain the legislated minimum 25 per cent funding linkage and its existing calculation, and rule out future funding cuts or caps.
- A strong commitment to capital funding: Commit to substantial capital funding over four years to support new Catholic schools in growth areas, additional student places and upgrades to existing facilities.
- Abolish the unfair payroll tax on our schools: Abolish payroll tax on non-government schools, bringing them into line with other Australian jurisdictions.
- Planning reform: Introduce reforms that identify and protect sites for Catholic schools, streamline planning and development approvals, and support the timely delivery of new Catholic schools.
- Early learning infrastructure support: Continue the Building Blocks program throughout the next parliamentary term, ensuring Catholic schools remain eligible for capital grants to establish and expand early learning facilities on school sites.
Further detail on our priorities can be found below.
Our Catholic Education Election Scorecard
Ahead of the 2026 Victorian election, VCEA has asked the Labor Government and Liberal-National Coalition to provide formal commitments against our five Catholic education priorities.
Both were invited to respond to the same five policy requests by Friday 30 October 2026.
VCEA’s Catholic Education Election Scorecard compares their commitments based on written responses, publicly available policy commitments and statements, or previous policy positions communicated to VCEA.
The scorecard focuses on the Labor Government and the Liberal-National Coalition against the five Catholic education priorities, reflecting VCEA’s focus on the two political groupings that have formed Victorian governments in recent decades.
The purpose of the scorecard is to provide Catholic school communities with clear information about the parties’ education policies. It does not constitute an endorsement of any political party or candidate.
Our scorecard
Coming in November 2026
VCEA is currently seeking formal responses from Labor and the Coalition against our five Catholic education priorities.
Our Catholic Education Election Scorecard will be published in November, ahead of the Victorian state election.
Why our Catholic education priorities matter
Recurrent funding certainty and no cuts: Protect the 25 per cent linkage and rule out cuts
What we’re asking for
Commit to retaining the legislated minimum 25 per cent funding linkage to Victorian Government recurrent funding for government schools, including how it is calculated, and ensuring non-government schools do not receive less funding through cuts, caps or other restrictions.
Why it matters
Catholic schools educate 21 per cent of Victorian students. Changes to recurrent funding arrangements would directly affect more than 218,000 students, 160,000 families and 35,000 teachers and school staff across Victoria.
Catholic schools are seeking a commitment from all major parties to maintain the longstanding provisions of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), including the legislated minimum 25 per cent funding linkage and the existing basis for calculation. This would ensure funding for non-government schools continues to be proportionally linked to recurrent expenditure in government schools and is not reduced through funding cuts, caps or other restrictions.
Funding certainty is particularly important as Catholic schools face significant cost pressures associated with providing competitive salaries and conditions, including those benchmarked against the Victorian Government Schools Agreement. Catholic schools face substantial increases in workforce costs while continuing to provide affordable education for families.
With 90 per cent of Catholic schools charging annual fees of less than $5,000 per student, our schools rely on government support to remain accessible and affordable for Victorian families.
Every child enrolled in a non-government school saves Victorian taxpayers around $9,000 per year while helping reduce pressure on the government school system.
Catholic schools are not seeking special treatment or new recurrent funding arrangements. We are seeking certainty that longstanding funding commitments will be maintained so schools can continue to invest in students, staff and communities with confidence.
A strong commitment to capital funding
What we’re asking for
Commit $250 million per annum in capital funding over four years, to support the delivery of new Catholic schools in growth areas, additional student places in established areas and important upgrades to existing facilities.
Why it matters
Victoria’s growing population is placing sustained pressure on school infrastructure, particularly in growth areas, and no single sector can meet that demand alone.
Catholic schools are seeking a strong four-year capital funding commitment to support the delivery of new Catholic schools in growth areas, create additional student places in established areas, and deliver important upgrades to existing facilities.
Catholic school communities already fund more than 85 per cent of capital investment. Government support enables this successful co-investment model to continue, sharing responsibility for meeting Victoria’s growing education needs.
Every new Catholic school and every school expansion creates additional student places and reduces pressure on the government school system, while delivering quality education outcomes for Victorian families and taxpayers.
This investment would leverage substantial co-contributions from Catholic school communities and deliver new and upgraded infrastructure at significantly lower costs to the State than would otherwise be required through the government school system.
Abolish the unfair payroll tax on Catholic schools
What we’re asking for
Commit to abolishing payroll tax on non-government schools, bringing them into line with other Australian jurisdictions.
Why it matters
Victoria is the only Australian jurisdiction that levies payroll tax on not-for-profit non-government schools. The tax costs non-government schools well over $100 million each year.
Catholic schools are seeking a commitment to abolish payroll tax on non-government schools and restore the longstanding exemption for not-for-profit schools.
For impacted Catholic schools, payroll tax represents a significant annual expense and can exceed $1 million annually. As not-for-profit organisations, schools must meet these costs by reducing expenditure on educational programs, staffing or capital works, or by increasing fees paid by families.
Catholic schools educate more than 218,000 Victorian students and are committed to providing affordable, accessible education for families across the state. At a time when schools face significant cost pressures, funding should be directed to teaching and learning rather than taxation.
Payroll tax reduces the capacity of affected Catholic school communities to invest in students, teachers and facilities. It also created an additional financial burden for schools already making substantial contributions to the cost of providing education in Victoria, with some impacted schools now paying more in payroll tax than they receive in Victorian Government funding.
Abolishing payroll tax on non-government schools would provide greater certainty and ensure school resources are invested in classrooms and school communities rather than returned to government through taxation.
Planning reform
What we’re asking for
Commit to reforms that identify and protect sites for Catholic schools, streamline planning and development approvals, and support the timely delivery of new Catholic schools in growing communities.
Why it matters
Victoria’s growing communities need schools to be delivered alongside housing and other essential infrastructure. However, current planning and land-use settings can delay the establishment of new Catholic schools and create barriers to timely school delivery.
Catholic schools are seeking a commitment to reduce these barriers, including recognising non-government schools as essential community infrastructure and implementing planning mechanisms that support the timely identification, acquisition and development of suitable Catholic school sites.
These reforms would improve coordination between government, developers and education providers, enable earlier identification and protection of suitable school sites, and streamline planning processes where appropriate.
Better planning arrangements would support parents’ access to school choice when they move into growing communities, rather than requiring families to wait years for local education infrastructure to be delivered.
Smarter planning benefits families, communities and government by enabling faster and more cost-effective delivery of school infrastructure.
This commitment could be delivered through measures such as:
- establishing a dedicated Special Education Zone, or equivalent statutory planning mechanism, for non-government school sites to support the timely acquisition of land and delivery of school infrastructure in growth areas. The mechanism could:
- include permit exemptions for appropriate school development
- establish deemed-to-comply standards for suitable school development
- provide streamlined assessment pathways
- limit third-party review where applicable standards are met
- reduce land cost escalation by protecting strategically identified school sites from competing development pressures
- recognising Catholic school infrastructure as essential community infrastructure for planning and development purposes, and making it eligible for support through Growth Areas Infrastructure Contributions, work-in-kind agreements, and other developer and landowner contribution mechanisms.
These reforms would provide greater certainty for school providers and communities, helping Catholic schools secure sites and deliver new education infrastructure when and where it is needed.
Better planning arrangements will help ensure families moving into growing communities have access to local Catholic schools.
Early learning infrastructure support
What we’re asking for
Commit to ongoing funding for the Building Blocks program throughout the next parliamentary term, ensuring Catholic schools remain eligible for capital grants to establish and expand early learning facilities on school sites.
Why it matters
Victoria’s early learning reforms require hundreds of additional kindergarten places across the State, and meeting this demand will require investment from government and non-government providers.
Catholic education is seeking a commitment to maintain the Building Blocks program throughout the next parliamentary term, with continued access to capital funding for eligible early learning projects on non-government school sites.
This would enable Catholic education to expand the delivery of not-for-profit early learning centres, including centres co-located with existing schools, helping support delivery of the Best Start, Best Life reforms.
Delivering early learning facilities on school sites can be faster, more affordable and more convenient for families because it makes use of existing community infrastructure.
Co-located early learning services also support smoother transitions into primary school, delivering benefits for children, parents and local communities.
Continued government support will help Catholic education deliver additional early learning places and improve access for Victorian families.