Thursday, 29 May 2025

St Kilda Primary School

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (09:55): My members statement today is in solidarity with students, staff and families of St Kilda Primary School, who have once again been left out in the cold by this government’s failure to prioritise public education. Despite a broken state government promise, despite years of advocacy, despite being shovel ready and desperately needed, St Kilda Primary’s hall project has been overlooked for funding again in this year’s state budget. This is more than just bricks and mortar. It is about a space for learning, for assembly, for sport, for music and for connection, and it is about equity.

To make matters worse, the already delayed Gonski funding commitments, promised to deliver full and fair funding to public schools, have now been pushed out to 2031. That is six years later than New South Wales and means another cohort of Victorian students will go through their whole primary school lives without the support that they deserve. It is a double betrayal: first, by refusing to invest in basic infrastructure for schools like St Kilda Primary; and second, by continuing to deny public school students the resources guaranteed under Gonski funding commitments. While private schools enjoy record levels of funding, public schools are left to patch holes, fundraise for essentials and watch promised funding evaporate. It is not fair, and it is failing our kids. The Greens will keep fighting until every child, no matter their postcode and what school they attend, gets the quality education and resources they deserve.