Wednesday, 3 June 2026

 Martha HAYLETT (Ripon) (19:26): (1686) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education. The action I seek is that the minister acknowledge the need for Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited to reconsider their closure of St Mary’s Primary School in Inglewood. For more than 160 years St Mary’s has been at the heart of Inglewood. It has shaped generations of local children, helping them learn, grow and find their footing in the world.

As recently as 2022 the Victorian government invested $445,000 to upgrade the school’s creative arts room, music centre and community meeting space, a clear sign of confidence in its future. Local families were left blindsided by the diocese’s decision last month to close the school forever. The suddenness of the decision, without warning or any chance to lift enrolments or plan a path forward, has left the community shocked and scrambling. If St Mary’s closes, the Loddon shire will be left without a single Catholic primary school. Children from Newbridge, Bridgewater, Inglewood and surrounding communities will face long daily commutes to and from Bendigo, and some families may decide to leave our area altogether.

Rural and regional communities deserve certainty and support, not decisions that leave them feeling abandoned. I have written to Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited asking them to reconsider their decision, as our community deserves the chance to protect and strengthen a school that has served it for generations.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Ripon, the action that you mentioned for the minister?

Martha HAYLETT: Is that the minister acknowledges the need for Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited to reconsider the closure. I seek to have a meeting with the Minister for Education about the decision.