Thursday, 18 March 2021

Evelyn electorate schools

Ms VALLENCE (Evelyn) (09:42): The Andrews Labor government, in their 2020–21 state budget last year, massively failed local primary schools in the Evelyn electorate. Despite my raising question after question here in Parliament, they failed, with not one new project and not one new dollar. Many local primary schools have completely missed out on new COVID funding and minor capital works grants despite meeting all the criteria. The Department of Education and Training has given them the excuse that funding decisions are not based on need but on politics. It is shameful. In any case, I will keep fighting for the local primary schools in my community. The students, their families and the teachers deserve no less.

Again I call on the government in the upcoming state budget to commit funding for Seville Primary School’s overhead court covers and classroom facility upgrades for which the school so far has been ignored; for Birmingham Primary School, a new gym stadium to provide enough space for undercover sports programs, assemblies and emergency shelter; for Manchester Primary School, much-needed classroom and administration wing upgrades; for Bimbadeen Heights Primary, resurface the oval, including a watering system and drainage, as it is uneven, degraded and presents an OH&S risk for nearly 500 students; for Wandin North Primary, replace some of the portable classrooms with permanent buildings for STEM and the arts with proper disability access and replace the block B student toilets, which are still riddled with asbestos.