Thursday, 15 August 2024

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Windsor Community Children’s Centre

Sam HIBBINS, Sonya KILKENNY
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Windsor Community Children’s Centre

 Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:28): This might not be the in-swinging yorker that Wasim Akram would provide, but I will do my best. My question is for the Minister for Planning. Windsor Community Children’s Centre have operated out of their Union Street home in Windsor for 27 years, providing high-quality community-run early education to local families. The land they are on is zoned public use education. Swinburne, which was gifted that land by the state government, now wants to kick the centre out, rezone the land so it can be used for commercial purposes and sell it for a profit. The Minister for Planning has the power to stop this land from being rezoned. Minister, local families want to know: will the government ensure common sense and community needs prevail and stop this rezoning?

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Minister for Planning, Minister for the Suburbs) (14:29): I thank the member for his question. As this is a live planning matter before me at this moment, I cannot comment any further on it. But there is a bit of history to this matter. Allow the process to run its course, and we will make a decision on the merits when that matter next comes before me.

 Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:30): If I could take the minister back to prior to this process starting, local families are rightly angry and perplexed as to why a government which calls this the Education State and spruiks reforms that will increase access to early education would even consider rezoning land that is used for educational purposes in the heart of the inner city – a rezoning that would make accessing early education in the local area even harder. Minister, why did the government even give Swinburne permission to sell the land without first ensuring the future of Windsor Community Children’s Centre?

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Minister for Planning, Minister for the Suburbs) (14:30): That is not a matter for me. It is a matter that is properly referred to the minister in the other place, and it may be that you wish to refer your matter to her.

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