Thursday, 2 April 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:16): (2484) My adjournment is to the Minister for Education, and it concerns the growing issue of violence in Victorian schools, particularly in Melbourne’s outer south-east, which is escalating into what many in the community now see as a crisis. The action I seek is for the government to fully fund addressing the scale of this crisis; to take decisive action by deploying additional specialist wellbeing and behavioural staff to high-needs areas, like the City of Casey; and to provide schools with additional support and funding, resources and teacher support to restore safety and order in our classrooms. I believe more behavioural modification programs and specialised education structures need to be effectively funded. There is an urgent need to increase support to school principals and local schools as well so they can properly respond. Workforce pressures for teachers are intensifying, with many teachers reporting burnout and leaving the profession, raising serious ongoing concerns about retention and support. It is no secret that teachers in the state of Victoria are underpaid and overworked. The strike actions we have seen and will continue to see are a testament to how desperate our teachers are to be valued and supported.

The recent Crime Statistics Agency statistics indicate the City of Casey recorded nearly 400 criminal incidents at schools and educational facilities in a single year. These incidents include assaults, sexual offences, theft and burglary, placing Casey among the more affected municipalities in Victoria. This is occurring against the backdrop of a significant rise in overall crime in Casey, with 29,858 offences recorded in the year to June 2025, which is up from 24,000-odd the year before – it is a significant increase. Like many teachers, the teachers in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, including in places like Narre Warren and Cranbourne, are facing escalating workloads, rising classroom disruptions and increasing incidence of work-related violence, with recorded incidents against staff in Victoria rising from 2279 in 2014–15 to 11,858 in 2023–24. Just imagine what those stats are now. Aggravated burglaries have risen sharply. Family violence incidents have increased. These are not marginal fluctuations; they point to a community under pressure and highlight the need for a coordinated response. A government secondary school in Narre Warren had multiple serious behavioural and safety incidents reported in a short period of time. Teachers describe spending increasing amounts of time managing behavioural issues rather than focusing on teaching. Students feel unsafe, teachers feel unsafe and many parents are deeply concerned about the learning environment. The people of Casey – students, parents, teachers and school staff – deserve more than assurances; they deserve a safe learning environment and a government that treats this issue with the seriousness that it demands.