Bentleigh electorate schools
Mr STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (09:53): One of the things that makes me most proud to be a member of this government is that since we were elected in 2014 every single one of the 82 special schools from every corner of the state has received major funding for an upgrade. In my electorate that means that all three of the special schools are being rebuilt from top to bottom. Over at Southern Autistic School we have completed stage 1, and we are currently undertaking stage 2 of that rebuild. At Berendale School we completed the hospitality wing a few years ago, and now we are merging Katandra School and Berendale School onto the Berendale site and turning that school into a P–12 school, which will provide better outcomes for the students. Over at Bayside Special Developmental School we are just completing the final stage of that rebuild. These are all things to be very, very proud about, because those of us on this side of the house believe that students with special needs should have the same opportunities as every other student in Victoria. We know that the most important thing when it comes to education is the quality of teaching, and we know that we have high-quality teachers in this state, but what also helps is ensuring that we have the best possible facilities at our schools, whether they are special schools or mainstream schools, to lay the foundation for a top-class education.