Ministers statements: schools funding
Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:39): I rise to update the house on how the Andrews government’s delivery of 100 new schools by 2026 is creating a jobs boom while giving growing communities the schools that they need. In this year’s budget our $1.8 billion school capital investment is creating 3900 building and construction jobs, 750 in regional Victoria. Since coming into office our investment of more than $12.8 billion for new schools and school upgrades has created around 17 400 local jobs in the construction industry and created over 156 000 additional student places in government schools. Our commitment of 100 schools is not just on track, it is ahead of schedule. Seventy-five of these new schools have opened or have been funded, with 13 new schools opening in 2023 and 14 new schools opening in 2024. This includes new schools in Bass, in Gembrook, in Kororoit, in Melton, in Tarneit, in Werribee and in Yuroke. When we came into government there was also no land for new schools—the shameful legacy of those opposite—but in this year’s budget there is funding for land in the south-eastern suburbs, in Bass, Cranbourne and Gembrook; in the growing western suburbs, in Kororoit, Melton, Sydenham and Tarneit; in Melbourne’s north, in Thomastown and Yuroke; and in our regions, in South Barwon.
There are alternatives to 100 new schools. There are those who, instead of building new schools where they are needed, only see land as something to rezone and line the pockets of their dodgy developer mates. That is the record of the Leader of the Opposition. That is the record of those opposite—100 new schools on this side, four new schools on that side. Only the Andrews government will build the schools our kids need.