Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Rachel WESTAWAY (Prahran) (17:15): (1723) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Skills and TAFE. The action that I seek is for the minister to release every report, plan, feasibility study, departmental brief and ministerial submission concerning the future of the former Swinburne site, now Melbourne Polytechnic’s Prahran campus. In November of 2021 Labor promised to secure the site as a vibrant education and arts precinct. The site has an extraordinary history and enduring value to Prahran, with arts education having been delivered there for many, many years. The campus remains home to nationally significant institutions, including the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA). This site is not just surplus government land but part of Prahran’s cultural identity and a vital component of Victoria’s creative education infrastructure.

Once land of this character is carved up or sold, it can never be recovered for community and public benefit. Yet Labor’s candidate for Prahran Dr Meghan Hopper, the doctor of spin, has suggested the housing may form part of the site’s future. That raises serious questions about what plans are being developed behind closed doors, what advice has been provided to government and whether Labor’s 2021 promise is being quietly abandoned. Prahran does not need Hong Kong on High Street, nor another high-density development imposed without proper consultation. This publicly owned land presents a rare opportunity to strengthen both the arts precinct and neighbouring Prahran High School.

Prahran is Victoria’s smallest electorate by area, and many local families already live in apartments and other high-density housing. There are children who attend a vertical school, with limited access to open space. They deserve genuine green space, outdoor recreation and facilities capable of supporting a broader curriculum. The government should be exploring how this precinct can provide Prahran High School with the space and the facilities necessary to offer students a full educational experience while protecting NICA and expanding opportunities for creative industries, community organisations and lifelong learning. This is the coordinated planning that a growing, high-density, inner-city community absolutely requires.

My community deserves to know whether housing options are under consideration, who authorised that work and what consultation has occurred with Melbourne Polytechnic, Prahran High School, NICA, the City of Stonnington and the local community. This site offers an amazing opportunity for my electorate, and locals are calling for public benefit to be at the heart of any plans. The community deserves complete transparency, meaningful consultation and a lasting public legacy. They deserve better than another secret Labor development plan or another broken promise.