School camps
Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (12:48): Tourism and educational camping destinations in my electorate of Murray Plains and across regional Victoria are facing ruin because the Minister for Education has seen fit to further cut costs in her department. Barely 12 months ago the same department through its Positive Start camp program to re-engage and reconnect young students paying the price for the Andrews government’s draconian lockdowns was urging schools everywhere to go on camps, espousing their positive social, physical and mental wellbeing benefits. Now the industry which responded and reinvested to help this plan is left in a positive mess by the minister. Just one business in my electorate, Billabong Ranch, has been hit by cancellation after cancellation because the minister has ruled that the department cannot pay teachers to attend and supervise and cannot afford time in lieu for those who do. The latest loss is a $36,000 booking from Montmorency Secondary College for 120 students. The economic impact is significant on Billabong and the local community, as they always source locally, and as many as 30 people rely on Billabong for their jobs. These 30 people also spend locally.
Here is another business sector which has put its trust in a government program and now faces devastation. I would welcome the minister’s advice, and Billabong would also welcome the minister’s advice, on where all the money has gone and how much intelligent planning actually went into this shambles of a situation.