Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (19:15): (1674) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek is for the minister to consider, support and invest in the proposals put forward by a number of my local schools to continue improving local learning infrastructure and resources across the Pascoe Vale, Coburg and Brunswick West communities. Since 2014, of course, our Labor government has continued to invest in and back all of our local schools, teachers, education, admin support staff, students and families to thrive, succeed and be supported. However, in this regard and further to my adjournment matter of 13 May, there is always more to do, including for Pascoe Vale North Primary School and for Coburg Primary School.

When it comes to Pascoe Vale North Primary School, ongoing support is also of course warranted. Now home to 350 students and 40 staff, I welcome the school’s development of their new concept master plan with three master plan options, including stage 1 priority: the need for a covered outdoor learning area, a COLA, which would support students access to regular and reliable whole-of-school assemblies and enhanced sport, health and wellbeing, recreation and learning outcomes. A COLA that is capable of accommodating whole-of-school gatherings and all-weather physical education would also help support the school and broader Pascoe Vale North community to hold more out-of-hours events, initiatives and opportunities and meet the school’s needs to provide safe and inclusive spaces for all community activities. Stage 2 and subsequent priorities also include upgrades across three different master plan options and scenarios and also provide for the need for new flooring and surfacing of the basketball courts, a grassed oval, a running track, soccer goals, fixing the sandpit, a new cricket pitch, a new nature-based playground, upgrading the grades 3 and 6 toilets, makeovers for the new portables, new decking for accessibility, a bike shed expansion, better fencing around the school, a ball pit, new digital school signage and ultimately new STEAM facilities and a new indoor gymnasium.

I am pleased to be currently sponsoring a parliamentary petition to support the new master plan vision currently signed by almost a thousand signatures. The school community will be at Bunnings doing a sausage sizzle this weekend to collect more signatures and to raise some funds towards these plans. I commend Deborah Crane, the principal, and school council parents, reps and advocates Bala Lange, Peter Van Buuren, Simeng Tan and Catherine Duniam especially for their efforts in developing the school’s first-ever concept master plan, the advocacy of which I am supporting.

When it comes to Coburg Primary School, further investment is supported and warranted. One of the oldest schools in Victoria, it was first opened in May 1853. Originally known as the Pentridge National School, now home to 350 students and 45 staff, the school is in the heart of the newly identified central Coburg activity centre. That is why the school shared in $10 million of statewide funding in last year’s budget to progress planning for much-needed future upgrades, and we appointed Law Architects earlier this year to lead the planning and design for future upgrades of block B – that is the northern campus on the north side of Bell Street. The Victorian School Building Authority, I understand, continues to progress towards schematic designs, which I support the community’s continued engagement on. Just last week, on 26 May, I met the school council and parent advocates Caroline Hughes, Emma Burros and others to progress this important work, and I commend the principal Matt Kirby. I welcome the minister’s consideration of these plans, and he is welcome to visit the schools any time to see these plans firsthand too.