Community
22 January, 2026
Regional schools falling behind
SOUTH West Coast MP Roma Britnell has hit out at the Victoria Government after new data showed regional school infrastructure was falling well behind metropolitan counterparts.
Twenty-two schools across the South West Coast were officially rated in ‘below average’ or ‘poor”’condition, well below the Victorian average, exposing a widening gap between metropolitan and regional education facilities.
Ms Britnell said the Liberals had made a hard-fought push for transparency to reveal the data through a Condition Assessment Score released under Freedom of Information, which confirmed regional schools are being left behind.
The data also revealed 76 per cent of the lowest ranked schools are located outside of metropolitan Melbourne.
Ms Britnell said the findings were not a surprise.
“We have been fighting for this data for two years,” she said.
“The Allan Labor Government resisted its release because they knew it would expose years of under-investment.
“This is a pattern of decision-making that prioritises Melbourne while regional communities wait, lobby, and hope for basic standards to be met.”
Ms Britnell said essential services such as education, health, and roads have been ignored in 21 of the past 25 years, and the neglect only grows more visible the further you travel from Melbourne.
“We’re told the investment is coming, but the results speak for themselves,” she said.
“Our kids are learning in conditions that would never be accepted in Melbourne.
“Years of neglect now loom over what Labor has always touted as one of Victoria’s proudest identities — the “Education State”.
“These figures lay bare what our communities confront every day.
“I continually meet with principals and parents tell me about the rundown buildings, mounting maintenance failures, and learning environments that fall far short of what our students deserve.”
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