Wednesday, 18 March 2020

Warrandyte electorate schools

Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (2290)

Tonight I seek the action of the education minister. The action that I seek is that he ensures that adequate funding is considered for and delivered to schools within the Warrandyte electorate in the 2020–21 budget. Throughout the first term of year is an exciting time for schools, and it is one of the great parts of this job to visit each of the schools within my electorate at this time. I have been fortunate enough to be invited to present school leaders with their badges and speak to the students about the importance of leadership within the community. During these visits principals outline their goals for the year, not only for the students but for the school more broadly.

On a recent visit to Warrandyte High School the principal raised with me that the school had recently passed only nine of the 35 requirements of ‘shelter in place’ in our high bushfire danger area. The principal pointed to the timber window frames in his own office as an example—one which is replicated throughout the school.

Whilst I am sure the department is fully aware of the recent audit results, the minister surely must be fully aware of the need for large capital investment for the school on a broader scale, a point that I have raised multiple times with him over the past five years.

Another school that I have raised in this place multiple times is Beverley Hills Primary in Doncaster East. This is a fantastic school, and the school principal, Jennifer Watson, does an excellent job with the limited space and resources the school has to overcome. But again this school has been overlooked multiple times by this Labor government and needs to have far greater focus and investment directed to it.

Donvale Primary, another fantastic local school, led by Lena Clark, again doing a fantastic job, is in need of greater investment—a point that I have made numerous times in this place and with the minister directly.

These are just three out of the 13 state schools that I have in my electorate, each needing specialised support and many being overlooked with each successive Labor budget.

Now that the Treasurer has shown us that he has indeed buggered the budget—with a deficit of $1.1 billion being realised before the effects of the bushfires or the coronavirus have even kicked in—it would seem that the Warrandyte schools will miss out again.

Contrary to the government’s mantra, this is not building the Education State, this is not delivering for all Victorians and this is not getting things done.

The government needs to step above its cheap slogans, and it needs to actually listen to the needs of my school communities.

I ask the minister to ensure that the Warrandyte electorate is not forgotten in the 2020–21 budget and ensure that adequate funding is given to these outstanding schools.