Thursday, 10 September 2026

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (21:47): (2802) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Youth, and the action I seek is for the minister to convene an urgent meeting with the Salesians of Don Bosco, Merri-bek council, the Minister for Planning and the federal government to reach a solution to save the Don Bosco youth centre and hostel. After almost a century of serving our community, Don Bosco’s future hangs in the balance. Last month I met with Father Peter Hoang to ask the Salesians to extend the EOI for its sale to allow more time to iron out a solution. Father Peter let me know that the Salesians are still open to the government stepping in to save Don Bosco. The EOI may have closed, but the community’s campaign has not. Parents, carers and their children recently came together in force for a picnic and play in their iconic ‘Save Don Bosco’ T-shirts. After the picnic, the community met with Father Orendain, the general councillor for social communication, from the Salesians headquarters in the Vatican, and really appreciated the openness and warmth he extended to them as he heard how much Don Bosco means to the local community. I joined the calls of the community, our Greens Brunswick candidate Adam Pulford and our Greens Pascoe Vale candidate Angelica Panopoulos, calling on the Salesians to reconsider their decision to sell this beloved community asset but asking that if it must be sold that they choose a buyer who will retain the youth centre and hostel.

The member for Pascoe Vale said in Parliament recently that the Merri-bek council must:

… be honest with the community about whether they would acquire or contribute towards the future site acquisition …

So let us be honest about what is blocking the council from taking a more proactive stance on the future of Don Bosco. It is the Labor councillors on Merri-bek council and state Labor who are yet to put any money on the table for the council to work with. Shamefully at the August council meeting, the Labor councillors all voted against a motion supported by the Save Don Bosco community campaign. Ignoring the voices of over 6000 people who signed the petition to save Don Bosco is short-sighted. While state Labor points the finger at a council blocked by Labor, the community has resorted to appealing directly to the Vatican, presumably because they see a stronger chance of success there than through advocacy aimed at the state or federal Labor governments. Right now there is still a chance for the Labor government to show up for our community and save Don Bosco, but there is no time to waste.