Thursday, 15 May 2025

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:32): I am proud to be part of a government, the Allan Labor government, that backs students, supports hardworking families and strengthens our school communities. It was an honour to join the Premier with the Minister for Community Sport this morning and the member for Footscray at Maribyrnong Secondary College. On a note for the hardworking member for Footscray, it was wonderful to learn about her father, Mr Ross Hall, who was a former school captain of the college and a champion rower, and to know what he would be thinking now to see how we are doing the Education State in Footscray, with his daughter there as a local member. He would be so proud of the member for Footscray, because what it means is we are investing in real cost-of-living support for families.

Today with the Premier, the minister and the local member we announced how we are extending and upgrading our Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund. We are adding another $152 million to this fund. It has already supported 2 million students from the neediest backgrounds for things since we introduced it in 2015. This will add another 200,000 students to it. More than that, we are also changing the eligibility and increasing the size of the fund. Parents of a child at primary school get about $150, and it is about $350 for secondary. It will now be up at $400 each for primary and secondary from next year. That will also allow parents to target that funding to the student, sometimes a year 12 or a year 7, to make sure it goes to the student that has the most expensive type of event they want to do. This is real cost-of-living support provided by the Allan Labor government. Whether it is the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund, whether it is Smile Squad or whether it is the free breakfast program, all these programs and initiatives show Labor values and how we are getting on with it.

The real thing for the member for Brighton will be: is he going to back in cost-of-living support, or is he going to walk away from it? We know the Allan Labor government is on the side of – (Time expired)