Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, Minister for Medical Research) (14:19): We know there is only one party in this place that will deliver real cost-of-living relief for families. There is one party that will deliver free eye tests for kids that need glasses; free uniforms, shirts, socks and shoes for kids that need the dignity of a uniform when they go to school; and free breakfasts for kids that go to school hungry. I had the great pleasure recently to be in Altona with the member for Kororoit to open up the brand new food bank, which we have done and supported for so many years, delivering a record 65 million breakfasts. And guess who else was there. The cameras were there and the ribbon was there, but the only thing they will cut is the 65 million breakfasts that we have delivered. We know that under Labor the Glasses for Kids program, the free breakfast program –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Bulleen can leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Bulleen withdrew from chamber.

Ben CARROLL: We will always deliver cost-of-living relief because we know this changes the trajectory of young kids. This changes the trajectory of young lives. It is good to go from Kew either over the West Gate or through the West Gate Tunnel. These are great investments by a Labor government in Melbourne’s west, and we will make sure that every child, no matter where they come from, does not go to school hungry. If they cannot see the whiteboard, they get the glasses support that they need. If they need the dignity of a uniform, they get the brand new shoes and the brand new socks. We know these are things that matter in the Education State. We will not cut funding to regional school infrastructure. We will not cut – the deepest cut of all – disability inclusion and offer $500 vouchers for kids that are vulnerable.