Wednesday, 22 June 2022

 Mr HODGETT (Croydon) (19:00): (6436) My adjournment is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek is for the minister to fund the much-needed replacement of four portable classrooms at Yarra Road Primary School. Yarra Road Primary School is fantastic. It is a large school within my electorate of Croydon that is still desperately awaiting the funding to be able to replace four portables that are in a destitute state. The current portables are in such poor condition—not only do they contain asbestos but they also have leaking roofs and some windows that have to be propped open with wood to allow for adequate ventilation. One of the classrooms does not have any running water, which limits the usage of the space as a classroom as it cannot be used for any science or art classes. With no access to running water, the classroom cannot accommodate any students who are anaphylactic as the requirement to access water to wipe down the desks multiple times a day is not available.

Yarra Road Primary School is an asset to the local community, and principal Ken Darby and assistant principal Meriden James, along with their staff, are incredibly hardworking and are continually advocating on behalf of the students and school community to deliver the best outcomes. Yet another year has passed and another budget has been announced, and still no funding has been allocated for Yarra Road Primary School. While other schools have received funding, Yarra Road Primary School has been left still waiting for the vital improvements it needs to be able to support its students. I urge the Minister for Education to support Yarra Road Primary School and its students and provide the funding that is so desperately needed to replace these old portables to give the students the best opportunities to succeed in their education without the poor conditions they are currently forced to learn in. So again I call on the Minister for Education to fund the much-needed replacement of four portable classrooms at Yarra Road Primary School.