Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Ministers statements: education system

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:42): We know Victorian families are doing it tough. That is why we are providing cost-of-living relief, and it is our government’s number one priority. In this year’s budget the Allan Labor government have tripled the Glasses for Kids program, making it available to 70,000 public school kids right across our state. It has been a game changer, making sure our little ones have access to free vision screening and glasses if they need them. It has been such a game changer that I am thinking about bringing the program into Parliament and calling it Glasses for Libs, because we know they will need to get their eyesight tested to be able to decipher those results the Australian public handed out only 10 days ago.

We also know some of those opposite like to turn their phone off. They like nothing better than turning their phone off. That is why as a government we are rolling out outside school hours care right across our specialist schools system. Eighty-four specialist schools are being upgraded by our government, helping our most needy people, our most needy students – something we can be proud of. Outside school hours care has been a game changer. Working mums – and potential opposition leaders – are using the time to turn the phone off, to go for a yoga lesson, to do a TAFE course, to go down the Nepean Highway or whatever they need to do to get the bit of rest and respite that we know is what we deliver. On this side of the chamber we care about our Victorian people. We are about building the economy and building a care economy. We are all about making sure our young ones, no matter who they are or where they come from, get the best start in life. We will not turn our phones off on this side; we would never think about doing that. We are about making sure that every person, no matter who they are or where they come from, gets the best start in life, and that starts with investing in education.