Less than five weeks out from the November 29 elections, a Herald Sun/Galaxy opinion poll has found Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews is on track to be Victoria’s next premier with Labor on the same 52-48 per cent two-party preferred lead it has had sincemany months now.

Based on this trend,Labor is expected to win 50 seats crushing the Coalition Government in one term only. Daniel Andrews will mark his name in history for defeating the first one term government in 60 years.

On Sunday the 26ththe Victorian Labor Party officially launched its election campaignat the Geelong Performing Arts Centre. Daniel Andrews made a series of socially progressive announcements with education the clear centrepiece of his speech.

Daniel Andrews announced that his Government will rebuild Victoria’s education system, with plans to upgrade schools across the state and help families manage the extra costs of educating a child. In a historic speech Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews announced the $1.3 billion education and skills package as well as the return of technical schools.

He announced that Labor Government will rebuild and upgrade schools across the state, investing $510 million in government schools, $120 million in Catholic and Independent schools and $50 million in kindergartens.

While at the same time the Napthine Government has cut funding for new school buildings – shelving master plans and halting construction work – with classrooms across Victoria falling into a state of disrepair. The Labor Government will also help families and schools cover the extra costs of raising and schooling a child, supporting children as they undergo the most formative years of their life.

Labor will establish a $150 million Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund, to make sure that every school and every child can participate.

Labor will also provide $15.5 million for a partnership with State Schools Relief to assist schools in providing school uniforms and shoes to struggling families, as well as free eye tests and glasses for students at 250 disadvantaged schools.

Labor will also invest $13.5 million to fund 500 breakfast clubs at disadvantaged schools, serving meals to 25,000 children every day thatwould otherwise go to school hungry with neither breakfast nor lunch.
Mr. Andrews said “A Labor Government will be there for every Victorian family to help kids get through the most important years of their lives.”

A Labor Government will invest $125 million to establish ten regional Technical Schools across the state. They will focus on integrating with local industries and will be open for students in Years 7 to 12.

A Labor Government will also implement a $320 million TAFE Rescue Fund to reopen closed campuses, bail-out institutes at risk of financial ruin, and upgrade TAFE campuses across the state. The funds will start flowing as an emergency measure on day one of a Labor Government, because the Napthine Government’s TAFE cuts have led the system to the brink of collapse.

Labor will also conduct a VET Funding Review, headed by former Holmesglen chief Bruce McKenzie, to develop a more sustainable funding model for public and private providers.

In his speech highly acclaimed Former Premier, Steve Bracks said, “I was so proud to lead a Labor Government and invest in the future of our kids. Because education, to me, is more than a key issue. It’s the key to a better life. One day, I hope the Liberals understand that. But whenever the Liberals attack education, Victorians turn to Labor.”