Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 Belinda WILSON (Narre Warren North) (13:03): I firmly believe that every child deserves access to the best quality education facilities, and that includes our special schools. The Andrews Labor government is committed to upgrading every specialist school in our state, and I am thrilled to share with you the extraordinary developments taking place in my own electorate of Narre Warren North. Recently I visited Dandenong Valley special school to get an update on the planning work for the $14.7 million upgrade and modernisation project. The school’s dedicated principal Rhonda and her team do an incredible job of educating kids who have special needs across the south-east, and I am proud to be part of a government delivering facilities that match.

I also had the pleasure of visiting principal Karen at Endeavour Hills Specialist School, a brand new school built by the Andrews Labor government with incredible facilities and a beautiful community of staff, educators and family. By investing in the education of children with special needs we are investing in a brighter future for all.

I might sound a little bit biased, but I do believe that my electorate is home to some of the best schools in our state. All of our principals, our teachers and our staff who I have met with in my visits are working really hard to deliver the best outcomes for our local families. I have seen some of the results of the upgrades and the modernisation thanks to the investment of the Andrews Labor government, and our local schools could not be prouder of their new facilities.