Education Minister Ben Carroll has declared his intention to give teachers a “proper pay rise” after a Commonwealth-appointed watchdog outed Victoria as the only state failing to meet its minimum funding commitment to government schools.

Carroll’s comments, included in an unreported speech last week to a business forum, were cautiously welcomed by the Australian Education Union, which says teachers in Victorian schools feel “completely abandoned” after 2026 budgets recently provided to principals contained no provision for staff or salary increases.

They come amid ongoing discussions between the state and federal governments on a long-term funding agreement to make good on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s pre-election promise to deliver in full the Gonski reforms. Victoria signed a head

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