Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Responses

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (20:04): Ms Terpstra has raised a matter for the Minister for Equality. Ms Crozier and Mr Puglielli have raised matters for the Premier. Mr McIntosh has raised a matter for the Minister for Creative Industries. Mr Davis has raised a matter for the Minister for Police. Ms Payne has raised a matter for the Minister for Corrections. Ms Ermacora, Ms Lovell and Ms Copsey all raised matters for the Attorney-General. Mr Welch and Mr McCracken raised matters for the Treasurer. Dr Mansfield raised a matter for the Minister for Water. Mr Galea raised a matter for the Minister for Education. Ms Bath and Mrs Hermans raised matters for the Minister for Emergency Services. Ms Purcell raised a matter for the Leader of the Government.

Mr Batchelor raised a matter for me as Minister for Children. I do recall the visit in August last year to the St Kilda and Balaclava kinder. In particular I remember it because there was a wonderful trapeze in the kinder that the kids were all playing on, and on that particular day we announced that the latest round of Building Blocks improvement grants were open. Indeed Balaclava and St Kilda had been the recipient of $750,000 in the previous round, which will expand and modernise this kinder, adding five learning spaces, which will obviously allow there to be significantly more places offered to local children. These changes will indeed, as Mr Batchelor spoke to, modernise the 100-year-old building while of course keeping its beautiful heritage aspects alive, and the new spaces will be more flexible, to suit the way in which learning has evolved over the past 100 years. They will be more inclusive and they will certainly be more accessible for children of all abilities, but those improvements have been done in a way that is sympathetic to the heritage nature of the beautiful kindergarten. I am pleased to advise Mr Batchelor that it is still scheduled to be finished in quarter 2 of 2025, and I very much look forward to visiting it for an opening with Mr Batchelor some time later in 2025, as I am advised.

Ms Watt also raised a matter for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, Mrs Broad raised a matter for the Minister for the Environment and Mrs McArthur raised a matter for the Minister for Energy and Resources, and I will refer all of those other matters accordingly.

The PRESIDENT: The house stands adjourned.

House adjourned 8:06 pm.