Thursday, 2 May 2024

Budget 2024–25

Sam GROTH (Nepean) (17:13): (633) My adjournment tonight is for the Treasurer, and the action I seek is for the necessary funding to be allocated in next week’s budget for health, education and infrastructure projects on the southern Mornington Peninsula. Just like I did last year, I stand here ahead of the budget really urging this government to fund the necessary health measures needed on the Mornington Peninsula, and specifically at Rosebud Hospital. Yes, there is a fantastic development going on at Frankston, and that is fantastic for those people that live further north, but we certainly need the upgrade of Rosebud Hospital to be funded asap. We cannot have people travelling 45 minutes to get the health care they need, especially in metropolitan Melbourne.

The vital piece of infrastructure that I want to see funded is the overpass at Jetty Road. We know that there was $70 million of federal funding sitting there for a number of years, and that was recently withdrawn by the Albanese federal Labor government because this government here in Victoria refused to allocate that funding to the necessary projects. I am still calling for that project to be funded.

In the education space we have a number of schools that are needing funding out of this budget. Eastbourne Primary School had planning funding last year. They need to see the $9.5 million they were promised before the 2022 election to upgrade that school, and I am hoping that is going to come in next week’s budget. Rye Primary School have got an external staircase to get to their second-floor classrooms that has no roof and needs an upgrade to the safety measures. They have got toilets that are more than 20 years old that also need refurbishing, and they have also got some roofing and drainage issues that need to be looked at. Tootgarook Primary School remains the only school in my electorate without an undercover play or basketball area, and they have been crying out for that for a number of years. As the only school without one of those, I urge that to be funded.

St Joseph’s Primary School down in Sorrento are looking, and I have written to the Minister for Education on this, for an expansion of the school bus program. It is currently not allocated to schools that are not government schools unless they are in regional Victoria, and of course St Joseph’s in Sorrento has been stuck in that metro–regional debate. That is currently costing the school upwards of $65,000. Finally, Red Hill Consolidated School are in desperate need of an upgrade to their prep classrooms. They were built in the 1950s. I was out there just last week with the principal. Those classrooms are old, they are tired, they are small, and they are full of mosquitoes because the windows do not close properly. For a government that wants to spruik energy efficiency, classrooms that old – 1950s – are expensive to cool in summer and are expensive to heat in winter, so I urge this government to look at those classrooms out at Red Hill Consolidated School. They also recently applied for a grant to get their toilets upgraded. As I said, I hope the Treasurer puts the funding for that in next week’s budget, and I will wait with bated breath.

The SPEAKER: Can I remind the Leader of the Nationals to acknowledge the Chair when he crosses in front of the mace, please.