Violence at Victorian schools, including a foiled poison plot between students, is on the rise because of stronger reporting requirements, the state's education minister says.
Figures from Victorian public schools, published by News Corp on Monday, show there were almost 1850 reported incidents of assault or aggressive behaviour on staff or fellow students during the 2017 school year.
Of those incidents, 229 cases involved items that could have been used as weapons, including knives, scissors, guns, screwdrivers, an axe and a pencil.
"We took this issue so seriously that back in 2015-16 we delivered much more stringent requirements on our schools to report any incidents of aggression or violence," Education Minister and Acting Premier James Merlino told reporters.
"We trained up our regional office staff to focus on this issue so as a result we have seen an increase in reporting, but that's important because it shows us where we need to deliver additional support."
The state government has recently announced a $9 million safety and security package for schools and more mental health support in the sector.
But Mr Merlino would not go into the details of a case involving schoolgirls who reportedly planned to poison another student.
"The students were suspended, Victoria Police were immediately notified, Victoria Police conducted the investigation," he said.
Opposition education spokesman Tim Smith believes the public needs to know more.
"What punishment was metered out to the perpetrators of this attempted murder?" He asked while speaking on ABC radio.
"Are the perpetrators still at the same school as the victim? What is going on here? How could this possibly have occurred in a Victorian school?"
