Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (21:26): (297) My adjournment is for the Minister for Education. I am urging the government to reconsider and to construct the proposed Forsyth Creek primary school in the Ellarook estate in Melbourne’s west. My constituents, the residents of Truganina, are profoundly angry and disappointed in the Andrews government for completely disregarding its promises. The decision not to build the proposed Forsyth Creek primary school will result in a staggering shortfall of 233 school places in a suburb that is still experiencing significant growth in Melbourne’s west. It exposes a glaring lack of foresight and planning on the part of the Andrews government.

As a direct consequence of this ill-advised decision not to build the Forsyth Creek primary school, students in Truganina are being forced into overcrowded and cramped schools that are already stretched to the limit due to poor planning by the government. These students were promised a nearby school and convenient access to a train station within their suburb before the election and now, and rightly so, feel betrayed by a government that immediately after securing their votes decided not to build. Documents obtained reveal that demand for student enrolments in Truganina has become apparent, and projections indicate that three out of four government schools in the area will soon exceed their capacity. This oversight demonstrates the blatant disregard for welfare and education opportunities for my constituents in the west – Truganina’s young population. The Shadow Minister for Education Dr Matt Bach and I have voiced our frustrations locally in recent days, highlighting the government’s irrational decision and heartless reversal of its promise, leaving students crammed into already overcrowded schools.

As a resident of the west and a state Liberal member for the Western Metro Region, I have to point out that this is another instance of the Labor government demonstrating a lack of understanding of the challenges and aspirations of the western suburbs of Melbourne. The community of Truganina, like many others in my region, feel that they are being taken for granted by the government, which consistently fails to address their genuine concerns. The residents of Truganina deserve better. Please, Minister, uphold your promise from before the election and construct the proposed Forsyth Creek primary school in the Ellarook estate in west Melbourne. I implore you to reconsider.