Tuesday, 9 December 2025

 Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Education. Minister, why is a contractor from Epping being employed by the Department of Education to travel a 722-kilometre round trip to the Nowa Nowa Primary School site to cut grass every month?

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:32): I do not want to rain on the member for Gippsland East’s birthday, except to say we have invested $38 billion maintaining all our schools, and the Victorian School Building Authority does an excellent job at –

Tim Bull: On a point of order, Speaker, I know the minister has only been speaking for 16 seconds, but he is already indicating that he is not going to be relevant to the question that was asked.

The SPEAKER: The minister has only been speaking for 16 seconds. The minister will come back to the question.

Ben CARROLL: I was going to the maintenance of the Victorian School Building Authority, and as the member for Gippsland East knows, the Victorian School Building Authority deals with the whole state. We invest in every school in every postcode, and we take pride in making sure our schools are maintained.

 Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (14:33): An arborist from Mordialloc has also been engaged by the Department of Education to undertake tree works on this site. That is a 632-kilometre round trip. Minister, how much money is the government wasting by employing contractors hundreds of kilometres from this school site, rather than employing local businesses from a town that was hit by your native timber industry closure?

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:34): Schools are unrecognisable from the ones we inherited from those opposite. We will always invest in education, support our schoolteachers and continue to make sure we are the Education State. This Premier will open up 100 new schools next year; she will not be closing 350.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: The minister has concluded his answer.