Warrandyte families of students at local low-fee independent and non-government schools are set to pay the price of Labor’s new Schools Tax.
Under questioning in Parliament today, Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins failed to rule out imposing her unfair and punitive Schools Tax on several independent and non-government schools in and around the Warrandyte community, including Whitefriars College, Donvale Christian College, Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School, Oxley Christian College and Yarra Valley Grammar.
Labor’s Schools Tax threatens to add thousands of dollars to the cost of educating a child and will threaten the ongoing financial viability of low-fee schools across the state.
The Minister also failed to outline how local Warrandyte state government schools will manage the influx of students who turn to the public system as a result of the inevitable fee increases for independent and non-government schools under Labor’s Schools Tax.
Shadow Minister for Education, Matt Bach, said hardworking Victorian families who valued choice of education were being punished by the Andrews Government.
“Low-fee independent and non-government schools can never plan for the future whilst this punitive tax hangs over their heads. Only a Pesutto Liberals and Nationals Government will scrap Labor’s Schools Tax,” Mr Bach said.
Shadow Minister for Finance, Jess Wilson, said local families across Warrandyte deserved a straight answer from the Andrews Government over what local schools are on their Schools Tax hit list.
“Many families across Warrandyte and the broader community make enormous sacrifices to educate their children at a school of their choice. These families deserve better than to be taxed for the Andrews Government’s economic mismanagement,” Ms Wilson said.
