Wednesday, 29 November 2023

Neerim District Rural Primary School

Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (19:09): (475) My adjournment tonight is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek is that the minister save Neerim District Rural Primary School in Nayook. We have heard from the minister in recent weeks about how much they are investing in schools, yet this one seems to be forgotten and looks due to be shut down. I said it today and I will say it again: in 2019 this school was de-staffed. Then in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 there were no increases in enrolments, so the department has decided to close this school. Well, you cannot increase enrolments when you do not have staff in the school. It is an impossibility. You cannot put the cart before the horse.

At a recent meeting with Neerim residents on Sunday night they indicated to me that if that school reopened in 2025, to give the government 12 months to sort themselves out, there would be 40 students in that school straightaway. You cannot afford to lose it. To compound the problem we have Jindivick Primary, which is now full, and they are going to ‘postcode only’, so the overflow of students from Jindivick Primary could go to Neerim Primary. At the same time we have Noojee Primary, which got de-staffed in 2019, another school in my electorate that looks to be doomed for the scrap heap.

I have urged the minister – I have sent him emails – to meet with me to discuss this issue. I ask him urgently to discuss it, because it is stupid to shut this school when it is viable. I understand some schools are not viable – I get that – but this one is. It services a much wider area. It takes in Noojee and Piedmont. It takes in Powelltown. It services a very wide area. There is no reason for this school to shut down. It is viable.

Not only that, if this school shuts down, parents will spend at least 80 minutes on the road ferrying their kids to school. With petrol prices the way they are, with the cost of living the way it is and with rural roads the way they are, it would be common sense to keep this school open. It would also be common sense to put a kindergarten on the site. They do have bush kinder at that school now. They also have playgroup at that school now. There is potential for this school, because there is growth – there is very good growth – in Neerim. I am asking the minister, as I said earlier, to meet with me to save this school and do the right thing by the residents of Neerim.