Bellarine families will be able to spend the School Saving Bonus on more items when the Victorian Government’s once-off $400 bonus becomes available later this year to all students at government schools and eligible non-government school students.

Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant today welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement that the School Saving Bonus – which had sought to cover the costs of uniforms, camps, excursions, and other extracurricular activities through the year – can also be spent on textbooks.

From this week, schools and families will also get more information about how the $400 School Saving Bonus can be accessed later this year, so families have time to plan and budget for the 2025 school year.

The once-off bonus will be available in November 2024. It will be applied for each child, so a family with three school children will receive $1,200 in support to spend on school costs.

The Government has worked to make the process of getting and spending the $400 School Saving Bonus as easy and as flexible as possible for busy families and schools.

No family of a child in a government school will need to apply for their bonus: it is free, automatic and universal.

In Term 4, families will receive a code granting them access to the bonus. They will get to choose how much of the funds they want allocated to a uniform and textbook voucher, and how much they want to use on school activities – like camps, sports, excursions, graduations, and other eligible programs.

The voucher for uniforms and books will be redeemable at a school-approved uniform or textbook supplier, while funds that families allocate to school activities will be managed through the school.

The voucher can be combined if families have children at different schools but use the same supplier for uniforms and textbooks. Families can also use the voucher to buy second-hand uniforms and textbooks directly from schools.

For families of students at a non-government school, the $400 will be provided directly to each school – to be managed in consultation with the student's family and in line with the intent of the program.

Non-government school families who are eligible for the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (including healthcare and concession card holders) are eligible for the School Saving Bonus. Their application process will be the same as that for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund.

The School Saving Bonus was announced as part of a $287 million package in the Victorian Budget 2024/25, and it will help up to 700,000 students – including around 44,000 non-government students.

The Government is also tripling the Glasses for Kids program, and providing free, nutritious breakfasts at every government school. For more information on the $400 School Saving Bonus, visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus

Quote attributable to Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant

“Our $400 School Saving Bonus will help ease the pressure on household budgets – giving parents across the Bellarine one less thing to worry about."