Thursday, 3 August 2023

Adjournment

Auburn High School

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (17:10): (271) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Education. The action I seek is for the minister to come out to Auburn High School and speak directly with officials, parents and students in relation to the insufficient funding provided to the school across successive budgets. Education empowers and transforms people to be their best selves. It benefits our whole society when every child can realise and maximise their talents through education. Auburn High is a success story for state education. Earlier this year I visited their campus and was able to see firsthand not only the outstanding dedication of their teaching staff but also how their facilities were in desperate need of upgrades. Over the past five years Auburn High has been forced to put its hand into its own pocket to the tune of over $2 million to help fund major projects. This includes $150,000 on the removal of asbestos from older buildings, $405,000 to reconfigure classrooms to reduce the impact of construction works on student learning, $750,000 on the construction of a new senior building and $540,000 on increased costs associated with COVID-19. It is unbelievable that a state like ours – a state which, if you listen to the government, has never been more prosperous – cannot afford to fund state schools properly.

The main building at Auburn High has only six cubicles and three urinals for boys and 14 cubicles for girls. There are over 730 students at the school. In the 2022–23 state budget the government provided the school with $495,000 from the Minor Capital Works Fund to renovate 12 bathrooms – the first time they will have been renovated since 1976. On top of this amount, Auburn High made a co-contribution of $190,000 to the project. However, due to soaring building costs, only eight bathrooms can be completed with the available funds. The Andrews Labor government has now asked the school to contribute at least $256,000 more, otherwise the full project will not proceed. That is just not acceptable. This would of course mean that Auburn High’s total contribution to this project will nearly equal the capital funding provided by the government, and it would be a surprise to families across Victoria if they learn that it is a dollar-for-dollar contribution on construction costs for government schools. If the Andrews government does not act to remedy this situation and cover the entirety of the funding shortfall, then we will know that Victoria truly is broke. The staff, parents and students at Auburn High School should not have to pay the price for the Andrews government’s inability to manage money. The minister should come to the school and join with me in visiting the school’s precincts so that we can begin work on the finalisation of these important projects.