Wednesday, 27 August 2025

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:36): I rise to inform the house on the support that is being provided to the school communities in north-east Victoria following yesterday’s horrific events. Yesterday’s events left our state and our nation shocked and the community of Porepunkah shattered. Our thoughts are with all those that have been impacted, particularly the families of the police officers that lost their lives in the line of duty.

Early this morning I spoke with Jill Gillies, the principal of Porepunkah Primary School. First and foremost, Jill wanted me to convey to the Premier, the Minister for Police and the Chief Commissioner of Police that the thoughts of the whole entire school community are with them. When the worst happens, it is so often that our educators are the best of us. Porepunkah has been around for more than 150 years. It is a close-knit community and has a very long-term teaching staff of 12. In Jill’s words to me this morning, she said, ‘They’re a brilliant bunch of adults.’ As these horrific events unfolded yesterday, Jill and her staff worked hard to make sure the students under their care were secure and safe. I want to thank Jill and her team for their calmness and their steadfast leadership.

As I said yesterday, a teacher’s influence stretches far beyond the classroom and the curriculum. The students yesterday will remember that day for the rest of their lives. Often you do not remember much when you are young, but you always remember your schooldays. They will remember that in their time of need the teachers stood up, that during the lockdown and in the classrooms, their teachers – from their music teacher to their specialist teachers to their homeroom teacher to the occupational therapists – all came in and made sure throughout the school day they continued their learning. To that, I say thank you.

I also want to pay tribute to all the other schools in north-east Victoria who were also in lockdown yesterday – their procedures and their professionalism to ensure that all the students and staff were kept safe. I have assured Jill and all the staff in regional Victoria that the Department of Education stands ready to support them. This includes ongoing wellbeing support and trauma counselling for any students, staff and families that need it, as well as support from our student support services and the team at Converge, the Department of Education’s wellbeing and support service provider.