By Bridie Smith
Parents struggling to claim the state government’s $400 school saving bonus fear they could miss out after technical glitches marred the rollout, while others are frustrated over restrictions on how they can spend the money.
Schools say they have been overwhelmed by questions from exasperated parents, whose efforts to contact the Education Department were met with email bounce backs and unanswered phone calls.
Parents Victoria says parents should be able to decide how they spent the $400 bonus, especially when it came to digital devices.Credit: iStock
That forced the schools to write to families to say the government’s system for applying for the money was experiencing “teething issues”.
Victorian Principals’ Association deputy president Deborah Grossek said a meeting had been held with the department to discuss the delays, in which it was said that Microsoft email accounts were behind the problem.
“It was just the sheer volume of emails that had to be sent out,” she said. “They couldn’t send out as many as planned and were restricted to sending a thousand emails a day.”
The department acknowledged “a small number” of emails had not been delivered. A government spokesperson said it was working with Microsoft to resolve email problems.
The bonus is a one-off $400 payment for state school students and families with eligible concession cards who have children in non-government schools. It is not available for students at independent or Catholic schools.
About 700,000 students are eligible under the $287 million scheme. The payment, which is not means-tested, started rolling out at the end of November. More than $21 million had been claimed by Thursday.
Almost half of the families to claim the bonus have put it towards school activities, 28 per cent towards uniforms and a quarter towards textbooks from schools’ accredited suppliers. The bonus can also be used at second-hand uniform shops.
Families receive a credit for the cost of school activities such as camps, swimming or excursions and a voucher to buy uniforms.
One parent – who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons – said her child was starting prep at Solway Primary in Ashburton.
When she called the 1800 number to chase up the bonus, she heard a recorded message before she was disconnected. Her email bounced back.
“I know it’s the first year they’ve done this, but it’s classic government,” she said. “It’s just been an absolute shambles.”
The state government says families can choose how they allocate their funds.
Taylors Lakes parent Rachel – who requested her surname not be used for privacy reasons – said she was eligible for $1200.
She said because she had three boys, she didn’t need to buy as many uniforms, and instead wanted to put the bonus towards stationery and books.
However, she was told she couldn’t spend her grade-5 son’s bonus on stationery.
“The only places that are approved [suppliers] for him are for uniforms, and so you can’t use it to buy stationery that primary school children need,” she said.
“I can’t see the difference. At the end of the day, these are supplies that I have to have for my children to be able to attend a public school.”
Parents Victoria chief executive Gail McHardy said parents should be able to choose how to spend their bonus, particularly when it came to iPads and laptops.
“Digital devices are a big-ticket item, and many families would have appreciated that assistance,” she said.
A government spokesperson said families and schools had been consulted to ensure the bonus targeted families’ needs.
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