Constituency questions
Caulfield electorate
Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:42): (6206) My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood. There are three childcare centres in the City of Port Phillip that are slated for closure. One of them is in the Caulfield electorate, The Avenue Children’s Centre and Kindergarten in Balaclava. The Avenue is in desperate need of repair works, and certainly they have been trying to do whatever they can to stay open. I know that the member for Albert Park is here in the chamber, and the member for Brighton has been very active as well in advocating for these centres to remain open. We do know that there is funding available from the state government’s Building Blocks grants program, so I therefore ask: will the minister provide an assurance and an update that the state government will provide some of this funding required to perform the necessary works to ensure that these centres remain open?