Thursday, 31 July 2025

 Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (10:02): Our teachers here in Victoria do the most phenomenal work, not just to make sure that students have what they need but to create and sustain school communities that enable everybody to participate, no matter where they are in the state or the stage of life that they are at. The investments that have been made have really yielded some very important results – most recently the NAPLAN results, which show that Victorian students are top of the class, ranking first or second in 18 of 20 measures and significantly improving upon our 2024 results. Records are really being smashed by Victorian students, with an average of 70 per cent falling in the ‘strong’ or ‘exceeding’ bands, and our primary students are ranked first or second in all 10 domains. This is really a testament to the work that is happening right across the state.

Again, our teachers, our staff and our school communities do the most extraordinary power of work, and this sits alongside the investments we have made in a range of areas, including dental check-ups, free glasses and vision checks, the Get Active Kids vouchers, young student support, mental health professionals and of course the breakfast club. This is something which I want to celebrate, and I also want to acknowledge the work of award winners Rohini Arun Kumar, Asmi Pathania, India Van Berkel and Annalisa Baxter. Across Gippsland the Premier’s VCE Awards have celebrated participation and achievement just like this.