Wednesday, 4 March 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (10:40): On 11 February I was pleased to welcome the Premier to Pascoe Vale Primary School for a student-led tour of the $18 million new facilities and upgrades we have provided for, including a world-class indoor gym, a STEAM centre, a new library and overall better facilities. It was a wonderful opportunity for the grades 5 and 6 students to also take part in a unique Q and A with the Premier. Thank you to the entire school community again for welcoming us, especially the teachers and the leading students: Zoe and Louis, the school captains; Vienna and Elliot, the vice school captains; Grace, the sports captain; Lachlan, the community captain; Charlotte, the arts captain; and Ayda, the sustainability captain.

On 24 February I was delighted to visit Pascoe Vale Girls College to officially cut the ribbon and unveil the school’s $970,000 refurbishment and upgrade works throughout the campus, including to the historic Mount Sabine homestead that was originally built in 1900 and has formed part of the school campus since 1957. Works provided for a new roof, ceiling, repainting, staining and electrical switchboard refurbishments. The visit also allowed me to admire the beautiful new school mural, proudly and vividly displaying Australian flora and fauna, including two iconic red wattlebirds, painted by Melanie Caple as part of a fantastic school incursion program where students played a hands-on role in designing and bringing the final piece to life. I was delighted to meet with the student leaders for, again, a dynamic Q and A session, all of whom were delighted with the new free public transport initiative for people under 18, which they were all taking advantage of. I commend the students, including school captain Dilni Jothiratnage and the year 12 leaders, who made us feel so welcome. The weekend again was a very busy one in the community.