AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF
GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
Press Release #1076
Where did the Victorian Premier and Minister for Education Go to School?
Victorian public schools are the poorest funded in the country and their teachers are in open revolt at their conditions, pay and lack of support for their students.
Meanwhile, private schools, both Catholic and so-called independent are riding high with growing enrolments, billions of dollars of public money and state of the art infrastructure.
There is plenty of evidence of favouritism. But does the particular Victorian situation also have a personal side to it.
Where, for example did the current Premier and erstwhile Minister for Education, and the current Minister for Education go to school?
Wikipedia tells us that
Benjamin Alan Carroll (born 12 July 1975) is an Australian politician and lawyer who has served as the 50th premier of Victoria since July 2026, holding office as the leader of the Victorian Labor Party. He has been the member of parliament (MP) for the district of Niddrie since 2012.
Carroll was born in Melbourne, attending St. Bernards College and studying law at La Trobe University, where he joined the Labor Party
and
Gabrielle Leigh Williams (born 27 October 1982) is an Australian politician and lawyer who has served as the deputy premier of Victoria since July 2026, holding office as the deputy leader of the Victorian Labor Party. She has been the member of parliament (MP) for the district of Dandenong since 2014.
Williams was born in Melbourne, attending Emmaus College and studying law and arts at Monash University. She joined the Labor Party as a student and later worked as a political adviser to ministers Peter Batchelor and Lily D'Ambrosio, before becoming a solicitor at law firm Baker McKenzie. Williams was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the district of Dandenong in the 2014 state election
So, both Ben Carrol and Gabrielle Williams went to Catholic schools.
In addition the Secretary of Education, Tony Bates was appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Education in August 2025. His schooling is not a matter of public record but his appointment appears to be a political one.
Tony joined the Department of Education in April 2019 as Deputy Secretary – Financial Policy and Information Services. But he has recently stood aside in the wake of an unfavourable report into how the public service and ministers handled an industrial dispute with the United Firefighters Union.
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