The Allan Labor Government is helping busy families with back-to-school costs, delivering a new round of support for kids to go on camps and excursions - on top of the $400 School Saving Bonus.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll today visited Wyndham Central College to kick off the next round of the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund, and also announce that Victorian families have now saved $100 million on back-to-school costs thanks to the School Saving Bonus.
The Labor Government's Camps, Sport and Excursions Fund makes sure every student - regardless of their background - gets the chance to go on camps and excursions with their friends.
This year, families of more than 200,000 students across the state will be able to access this support, which has helped more than 2 million kids go to camps and excursions since it was introduced by the Labor Government.
Under the program, families with healthcare cards will be able to access $154 for primary school children and $256 for secondary school students.
The Government has made an important change to the program for 2025. Families who have multiple children at the same school will be able to pool their allocated funding to use on one child or for one specific activity. This could help in situations where the costs for activities in a certain year level are higher than others.
This Fund comes on top of the $400 School Saving Bonus, which can also go towards school activities such as camps or excursions - plus school uniforms and textbooks.
Around 700,000 students statewide will benefit from the School Saving Bonus. More than 450,000 transactions have been processed, saving parents more than $100 million on back-to-school costs.
School uniforms have been the most popular item on which to use the Bonus, with over $40 million spent so far. School activities were also favoured, with over $26 million spent. Nearly $30 million have gone towards textbooks.
Last year, the Labor Government invested an additional $168.7 million to continue the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund for an extra four years, so that parents in need get an extra helping hand.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"Families are juggling so much to give their kids the best start, but it's harder and harder in Australia's cost of living crisis."
"We're helping families cover the cost of camps, sporting activities and excursions - to help families in need and make sure no child is missing out."
As stated by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll
"For many students, school camp is the highlight of the year. By putting more money back in the pockets of more Victorian families, we're making sure all students have the chance to participate."
"It's on top of our $400 School Saving Bonus - which has already saved busy Victorian families $100 million on uniforms, books, camps and excursions."
