The Melbourne Newsroom

School expenditures have increased by 17 per cent from 2001 to 2009, while student performance has declined by 2.5 per cent - equivalent to about one third of a year of schooling – according to a report in September’s Australian Economic Review.

The Dean of the Faculty of the VCA and Music at the University of Melbourne, Professor Barry Conyngham, has enthusiastically welcomed the allocation in yesterday’s state budget of $24 million to support arts education at the VCA.

Professor Conyngham said the fulfillment of the promise made by the Premier would allow VCA to “do the job we want to do”.

The funding committed in the 2011-12 Victorian Budget is for $6 million a year over four years.

It will deliver a range of practical initiatives to provide career pathways for students, including:

Below is a list of experts available to comment on the State and Federal budgets.

More than $42.8 million in funding will flow to University of Melbourne researchers after their successful performance in 2011 Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage and Discovery Grants, announced yesterday by the ARC and Federal Minister for Innovation Senator Kim Carr.

The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) at the University of Melbourne has welcomed Commonwealth and State government funding totaling almost $20 million over the next three years.

Professor Lyn Yates says funding for school buildings and facilities will help improve student morale and retention rates.

In today’s state budget, the Victorian Government has allocated $402 million toward the rebuilding and renovation of 113 state government schools across the state. These funds will be combined with the Federal government’s allocation of $686 million for Victorian schools’ infrastructure projects.