Thursday, 19 June 2025

Broadmeadows electorate schools

Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (17:18): (1206) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education, and the action I am seeking is that the minister join me in a visit to the Broadmeadows Health and Community Centre of Excellence at Kangan Institute and the new site of the Broadmeadows tech school. Our Labor government is investing $116 million to build six new cutting-edge tech schools to prepare kids for the future with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths. We are very excited that construction is about to begin in Broadmeadows and that our community will be one of the first to benefit from this innovative education funding.

Students are also loving the state-of-the-art learning environment at our wonderful new Broadmeadows Health and Community Centre of Excellence at Kangan Institute. Since it opened this year, over 1000 people have enrolled in early childhood, community services, youth work, nursing, allied health, mental health, justice, disability, dental, pathology and education support. That is 1000 people preparing for careers that care for others – careers that support families, improve wellbeing and strengthen the fabric of our society. These are the types of jobs that our community truly values, and it is heartening to see so many people stepping up to make a difference. These new enrolments are on top of the 6000 students already studying at the Broadmeadows campus, including 1200 hardworking apprentices and trainees. There is even a new barbering course on the way, which I know will be warmly welcomed by locals.

What makes this centre of excellence truly special is how much it reflects the spirit of Broadmeadows. This is a community full of people who care deeply for their families, their neighbours and their future. We see it every day in our local schools, community groups, sports clubs and volunteer networks, and now we are seeing it in this next generation of students training to become nurses, carers, educators and health professionals. This centre is a powerful example of what happens when we invest in people, in skills and in opportunity. I would love for the minister to come and see it for himself – to meet the passionate staff and students, hear the stories and feel the sense of pride and possibility that is going on right here in Broadmeadows. He will also see the incredible difference our Labor government’s investment is making to locals and how free TAFE is changing lives.