Thursday, 2 May 2019

Latrobe Special Developmental School

Ms BATH (Eastern Victoria) (18:04): My adjournment matter this evening is for the Honourable James Merlino, the Minister for Education in the other place. It relates to the Latrobe Special Developmental School. This is a fantastic school with fantastic students, parents and supporters. It is based in Traralgon. I have raised this issue for a number of years, and it is of the utmost importance to this community. This is the last sitting day before the delayed state budget comes out, so it is timely to remind the minister of a matter that is of the utmost importance to the families, the school, the hardworking staff, the friends and the students of this fantastic school.

The Latrobe Special Developmental School only yesterday sent an email to the minister and to a number of MPs, myself included. It is worth giving the minister a reminder of the words of this special working group that has been designed to support and to be the receptacle of knowledge and communication around what is needed for that school and to work with the Victorian building planning department and also the education department. They say, and I quote:

The Latrobe Special Development School working group acts on behalf of the parents and community in the Latrobe area.

We consist of parents and community members who have come together to ensure that a new school is built for our most vulnerable students and that foremost the students’ best interests are a priority.

We will continue to be patient but there are still questions unanswered.

When will our new school be fully funded?

Can we have confirmation that we will stay a developmental school?

Just to reiterate the Latrobe Special Developmental School was never built for students with disabilities. It is unsafe, inadequate and has asbestos. We would like the first purpose-built Latrobe Special Developmental School to be a gold standard in education, care and assist our students ‘towards independence’—

which is their motto.

In February this year the Andrews government came out with a commitment to say—and this was much needed to be heard by this group of people—that the Latrobe Special Developmental School and Traralgon College will not be merged. That was welcome news. Now what they need—and this is the action I seek from the minister—is to have included in the 2019–20 budget specific funding for this developmental school, as requested by the school community, as a standalone school.