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Victoria
Education head says new tax will hit more than 25 Catholic schools
Private schools in Victoria will be stripped of their long-held exemption to payroll tax next year, netting the state more than $420 million in revenue over three years. Source: The Age.
Carer funding at risk in Victorian Budget
Catholic disability and aged care organisation VMCH fears for the future of the vulnerable people it supports if funding is cut in the upcoming 2023-24 Victorian Budget.
Victoria to lift age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12
Children aged 10 and 11 will not be held criminally responsible for their actions in Victoria by the end of next year. Source: The Age.
‘Big Build’ sees social housing stock grow by just 74 dwellings in four years
Victoria’s pool of social housing has grown by just 74 units in four years despite the government embarking on a multibillion-dollar “Big Housing Build” and a growing waitlist for homes. Source: The Guardian.
Religion class enrolments slump in Victoria’s state schools
Religious instruction has almost disappeared from Victorian state schools, as government changes to make the program voluntary and held outside class hours prompted enrolments to drop by 99 per cent in 10 years. Source: The Age.
Catholic schools lose students as more families go independent
Victorian Catholic schools have shed students for the first time in more than a decade as families increasingly choose independent schools. Source: The Age.
Victorian Government looks to drop Lord’s Prayer
As the Victorian Parliament returns for 2023, MPs will once again rise to the Lord’s Prayer regardless of their religious beliefs. But days appear numbered for the long-standing tradition. Source: SBS News.
Mental health workers say Victoria’s suicide spike happening nationally
Victoria has recorded its highest number of annual suicides since the Coroner’s Court started collecting suicide data in 2000, with mental health workers saying the trend is occurring nationally. Source: The Guardian.
Councillors push for end to ‘inappropriate’ Christian prayers at meetings
A group of Victorian councillors has written to the state government calling for guidelines to end Christian prayers in local council meetings. Source: The Age.