Tuesday, 18 February 2020

Ministers statements: new schools

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education) (12:16): For the first time in our state’s history we have reached the milestone of 1 million students. This year more than 80 000 of these were preps starting school for the first time.

To meet this unprecedented demand we are building new schools like never before. At the start of this term 11 new schools opened their doors. I had the pleasure of opening Casey Fields Primary School with the member for Cranbourne, Lucas Primary School with the member for Wendouree, Davis Creek Primary School with the member for Tarneit, Homestead Senior Secondary College in Altona with the Attorney-General and member for Altona, and Grayling Primary with the member for Bass. And other members opened new schools. The member for Yuroke opened up the brand-new school Elevation Secondary College. The member for Keysborough opened up Keysborough Gardens Primary School—well done, Minister. The member for South Barwon opened Mirripoa Primary School. The Treasurer, the member for Werribee, opened Riverwalk Primary. The member for Cranbourne was busy opening Botanic Ridge Primary, and the member for Yan Yean opened Beveridge Primary. All these school openings are only possible thanks to our record $6.1 billion investment and our commitment to roll out 100 new schools by 2026.

But there are some people who are not so keen on our policy of building new schools, who have alternative policy settings. Speaker, you know these people. They clutch posters of former premiers. They pine for the party of Jeff Kennett, bemoaning, ‘What do we believe in?’.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MERLINO: Well, I tell the member for Brighton what the Liberal Party believes in—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Education will resume his seat.

Mr Wells: On a point of order, Speaker, the Deputy Premier has 8 seconds to get the punchline out. Don’t stuff it up this time.

The SPEAKER: Order! I expect points of order from the Manager of Opposition Business and father of the house to be better than that.

Mr MERLINO: Here we go: we build them; you close them. The Kennett government—350 schools— (Time expired)