Education
Schools:
- Salaries for graduate teachers in Victoria were the highest in the country in 1999.
- The Kennett Government had reduced the $670 million maintenance backlog in schools to $136 million.
- The Kennett Government’s pledge to spend $1 billion on school building works in its last term in government had been surpassed with the 1999/2000 Budget.
- The Government was spending over $800m more on school education in 1999 than was provided in 1991-92.
- Total recurrent funding for schools increased 10% over 1998/99, taking the total to be spent on schools in 1999/00 to a record high of $4,354.7 million.
- 1,000 special Literacy coordinator positions were created schools across Victoria.
With over 100,000 computers in our schools, Victoria had the best computer to student ratio in Australia and one of the best in the world – with then one computer for every six students – projected to be one for every five students by June 2000. - Personal laptop computers were scheduled to be provided to Victoria’s 37,000 teachers by 2002.
Tertiary Education and Training:
- In 1999, Victoria had Australia’s highest participation rate and the highest employer satisfaction rate in training and further education.
The Kennett Government had overseen a 45% increase in the number of apprenticeships and traineeships in Victoria in its last year.
Training opportunities were to be provided for another 50,000 young Victorians over the next four years at a cost of $93.8 million. - Over one third of international university students coming to Australia chose to study at a Victorian university.
Law and Order
Police:
- Since 1992, the Kennett Government spent $155 million on new police stations and had made a commitment for $170 million on information technology, the then largest infrastructure investment in the Victorian Police Force’s history.
- Victoria had the lowest crime rate of all states and was 23% below the national average.
- The Government had committed to an extra 400 police members over the following two years.
