Thursday, 20 June 2024

La Trobe University

Colin BROOKS (Bundoora – Minister for Development Victoria, Minister for Precincts, Minister for Creative Industries) (09:46): I rise today to pay tribute to the work of La Trobe University, which of course has a campus in Bundoora but also many campuses across regional Victoria. The partnerships between government and La Trobe have delivered great outcomes not only for my electorate but for the wider community too. Just last December the Allan government, La Trobe University and biotechnology company BioNTech announced that Bundoora will be home to BioNTech’s new Melbourne manufacturing hub. The facility will soon be producing life-saving medicines, vaccines and treatments for serious diseases, including cancer. Make no mistake, this partnership at La Trobe will not only be saving lives but also, importantly, creating 1200 jobs over 10 ‍years.

During the COVID pandemic the Victorian government was partnering with La Trobe, even while the federal Liberals and Nationals treated universities as a second-class sector by refusing to provide JobSeeker to that sector. It is simple: Labor values tertiary education and the Liberals and Nationals do not. We have invested at La Trobe: some $101 million in the La Trobe University sports park, including the home of the Matildas, which opened last year; and $17 million towards the new digital and bio innovation hubs in 2021. The Allan Labor government is invested in La Trobe University and continues to back its important work, particularly because we understand its importance to Melbourne’s north and to regional Victoria.