Thursday, 18 May 2023

Motions

Education State

Natalie HUTCHINS (Sydenham – Minister for Education, Minister for Women) (14:51:06): I move:

That this house recognises the work of the Andrews Labor government to build the Education State by:

(1) making kinder free;

(2) delivering hundreds of new schools and school upgrades;

(3) supporting student wellbeing;

(4) implementing One VCE; and

(5) putting over 70 courses on the free TAFE list.

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay my respects. I would also like to acknowledge Aboriginal kinder teachers, childcare workers, teachers, education support staff, allied health, engagement workers, principals, vocational training and those that work every day in Victoria’s education system for children and young people. I also want to mention the vision that we have had with Victoria’s Aboriginal community in establishing the Marrung education plan. The vision for that plan really goes to the heart of acknowledging the cultures and experiences of First Nations people and celebrating the inclusivity, responsiveness and respectfulness of First Nations people.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of all of the wonderful initiatives this government is doing, can I say happy Education Week to all Victorians. The theme of this year is ‘Active learners: move, make, motivate’, which celebrates physical activity, hands-on learning and student voice in education. And can I highlight the incredible efforts of our teachers, principals, support staff and school administration in being at the forefront of running our education system. I know we could not do it without their incredible work.

Can I take a minute to acknowledge the families and children that were affected by the bus incident that happened in Exford just the other day. I send my thoughts and prayers to those children that remain in hospital, and I extend my huge thanks to the teaching staff at both Exford and Eynesbury primary schools for their fantastic work in not only being on the scene just after the incident happened but also for wrapping their arms around their school community and offering ongoing support over the last two days.

From kinder to a good local school all the way to TAFE or uni, we know that education changes lives. That is why we have made kinder free, so that our kids get the very best start in life. That is why we are building and upgrading schools, so you can count on having a great local school no matter where you live. I want to begin by talking about our Best Start, Best Life once-in-a-generation reform: $14 billion to transform Victoria’s early childhood sector. It is one of the many, many positive deliveries that this government has put in place. We need to make sure that we are boosting our child’s education before they even get to primary school. As Minister for Education I am incredibly supportive of these reforms.

On behalf of the minister in the other place, I want to outline some of the key outcomes that we anticipate through this investment and give her a shout-out for the great work that she is doing. We are delivering 15 hours a week of three-year-old kinder for every child by 2029, free kinder programs for all three- and four-year-old children at participating services from the start of 2023 and four-year-old kinder will be transitioning to pre-prep over the next decade. On top of this we are establishing 50 new government owned and operated early childhood centres in areas where we know it is hard to get child care. Under this $270 million program up to 140,000 children will go to kinder for free this year, saving families on average $2500 in fees. More than 2750 services in Victoria are offering free kinder this year, and that is 97 per cent of services across the state.

Over the next decade four-year-old kinder will transition into pre-prep. It is a high-quality program that gives four-year-old children greater opportunities to socialise through play and get ready for school. We are investing in child care with these 50 childcare centres. Child care, we know, has not been working for working families, with high fees and a lack of space in the places that most need it. That is why we are establishing these 50 government-owned and affordable childcare centres across the state, co-located, where possible, with schools to avoid that double drop-off and alongside hospitals, TAFEs and major employers to create a convenient way forward for working parents. We know that this will help ease the cost of living and enable primary carriers – predominantly women – to get back into the workforce. We estimate that this investment will enable about 14,000 women to join the workforce over the next 10 years. When we have workforce shortages this sort of investment is extremely important.

But we are not just delivering on early childhood education, we have massive reforms in investment across our entire education system. We have worked hard to upgrade and build new schools. We have invested $12.8 billion in new schools and in upgrading existing ones across the state. We are committed to opening 100 new schools between 2019 and 2026, 12 of which opened their doors in the first week of term 1 this year. I was really pleased to be with a number of members from this place at the opening of those schools in the first week. We know that this investment means for thousands of students that they are now learning in state-of-the-art facilities and leading the way.

Victoria has built more new schools in Australia than any other state. We make up half of the new schools being built, compared to every other state. It really does demonstrate that we mean it when we say that we are the Education State. We are taking action to end that dreaded double drop-off wherever possible by having multischool facilities on the one site. There are currently 290,000 people living in the City of Wyndham, and we estimate that this will grow by about 500,000 by 2040. It is a real challenge to any government to keep up with that growth and ensure that all of the children in these growth corridors are given a first-class education. That is why last week I had the pleasure of joining the member for Laverton and the mayor of Wyndham at the new Truganina North education precinct, which will be home to a new primary school, the junior campus of a senior school, a co-located kinder and community facilities. We officially announced the appointment of nine new principals that will head up the new schools in 2024 located across Melbourne’s west. I was honoured to be joined by such fantastic, experienced principals that together have over 200 years worth of service. We are investing $5.4 million into brand new STEM centres for these schools, and we are also investing in major upgrades in every single Victorian specialist school across the state.

We know that around one-third of Victorian families choose to send their children to non-government schools, so our capital funding support also extends to low fee paying Catholic and independent schools through the non-government schools capital grants program. I know there are a number of members in this house that have worked with their local schools to be at the opening of the facilities that this government has funded under that program. We also have the Minor Capital Works Fund, which has supported schools to deliver small-scale projects and improve their learning environment – everything from new synthetic turf ovals to new play equipment at schools, and the refurbishment of toilets, as we have seen at some schools, which is always an important initiative that parents support. Since 2015 we have supported 389 projects with an investment of $70 million. There are just so many projects underway by this government. We acknowledge there is more to do. We do manage 1570 schools and are building more, and of course our investments in maintenance and minor works are a very important part of our budgets as well.

I want to end by talking about our investment in student wellbeing. This is a major commitment that no other state is making and in fact it is bigger than the spend that the federal government has put in, and that is a massive $600 million to invest in our children’s and young people’s mental health and good mental health work into the future, something that I know we will be delivering for many, many years to come. I will no doubt have more to say about these programs in the future. I am particularly proud of our new mental health in primary schools program and the mental health fund that is rolling out to work with schools to get the best setting for their children, because we know when kids have great mental health and wellbeing it is crucial to their learning and development and outcomes.

Finally, can I just touch on our record investment of $1.6 billion in disability inclusion reforms, which are an Australian first and are rolling out across our school system over three years. To date we have more than 1400 individual profiles that have been completed, with 90 per cent of these profiles having had students themselves participate in the process, making sure kids with disabilities can be accommodated and accepted and can advance in their education in our state school mainstream settings and in our specialist schools.

There is so much more I could talk about in the way of secondary education, VET education and One VCE, but I will leave my comments there and no doubt have many opportunities in this house to unfold those. But to conclude, I am proud to recognise the work of the Andrews Labor government to build the Education State.

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (15:01): I rise to make some comments on this motion, which talks about education. The Andrews government talks a lot about the Education State but does not walk the talk when it comes to actually delivering the basic education that all Victorians need and expect. We are the most expensive state in the nation when it comes to education – $100,000 per child in the lifetime of that child for a public education that is meant to be free. That is the most expensive of any state. We are the most expensive, and our literacy skills are declining year after year; over a 20-year period we have just seen our literacy skills slip. Just recently we had an article by Adam Carey in the Age saying:

Victorian results slip as other states hold steady in literacy test

A major global test of reading skills among year 4 students has found a decline in performance among Victorian children, even as results in other states held steady.

This is just unfortunately a sign of the times under the Andrews Labor government. We have got to focus. We have got to invest in the basic education needs of our kids when it comes to literacy and numeracy, and we have got to invest in the infrastructure – and it is the most expensive. You cannot just have a slogan on a numberplate, you have got to actually deliver when it comes to substance.

I want to spend the time talking firstly about my electorate when it comes to school upgrades, because the government is boasting about all these fantastic upgrades. In Tuesday’s budget we are looking forward to seeing some of these budget upgrades promised being delivered. I want to start certainly in my electorate, where we have $10 million for Caulfield South Primary School, a commitment that I launched. After a lot of pushing and pulling and persuading of the candidate who ran against me, the government matched that. So I am actually looking forward to seeing $10 million in the budget for a new multipurpose gymnasium, a hall, construction of a centre for STEAM – for science, technology, engineering, arts and maths, because the education component is so important – and a dedicated, fit-for-purpose library for Caulfield South Primary School. We are looking forward to seeing that in the budget.

We have $11.9 million for Caulfield Junior College. That school is in desperate need of repair. It needs an upgrade. It needs a gymnasium. It needs an assembly hall. All of their assemblies are held outside in the rain. We have got $5 million for Ripponlea Primary School stage 1. Again, they do not have a place for the kids to meet. It has all got to be done on the asphalt. It has all got to be done outdoors. We are looking forward to seeing that in the budget. Also we have $5 million to deliver a play area at Caulfield Primary School – again, they are in desperate need of repair. So I would ask the government to deliver on their promise, to deliver on their talk, to actually walk the talk and to deliver the upgrades in my electorate of Caulfield to those schools – Caulfield South, Caulfield Junior, Caulfield Primary, and Ripponlea. We need to get those away. I know St Kilda Primary School, which is on the border of my electorate and Albert Park, also is in desperate need of funding, so we look forward to seeing that on Tuesday.

But on top of that there are many members from the other side that are looking for funding as well. Certainly we made those commitments, and I would hope to see on Tuesday in the Ashwood district $35 million for Mount Waverley Secondary College and $1 million for Solway Primary School to complete an urgent refurbishment of that school. In Bellarine district we are hoping to see in the budget on Tuesday $20 million for Bellarine Secondary College to upgrade the two campuses.

In the district of Bentleigh – my good friend the member for Bentleigh, I would hope, has been advocating strongly – we hope we will see on Tuesday $5 million for Cheltenham East Primary School, which is one that I know we fought really hard for. Cheltenham East Primary School desperately need this. They have got a master plan for classrooms, admin buildings, an office and toilets, and I would hope on Tuesday to see in the budget that the member for Bentleigh has fought for his community and we get that delivered.

The Eltham district need $700,000 for the Montmorency Primary School for a synthetic surface for sports fields and drainage works and $200,000 for the Eltham North Primary School for refurbishment of the junior school toilet blocks, replacement of the synthetic grass in the play areas and new air conditioning.

In the district of Glen Waverley it is very important that we see $8 million for Vermont Primary School to rebuild the school, including a new central classroom building and admin facilities; also $400,000 for Livingstone Primary School for a new car park for the school; $800,000 for Camelot Rise Primary School to redevelop the playing surface of the oval – the kids desperately need somewhere to play; and $10 million for Brentwood Secondary College for major upgrades to begin the work on stage 2 of the college master plan and a new performing arts building for a 300-seat auditorium, two classrooms, toilet facilities and a community space – all desperately needed at the Brentwood Secondary College in the district of Glen Waverley.

If we move to Hastings, we would be hoping in the Hastings district to receive $3.2 million for the Somers Primary School’s new admin buildings and a space for the assemblies. We are looking forward to seeing that in Tuesday’s budget. In the district of Mordialloc – and I know the member for Mordialloc is here today – we would be hoping to see in the budget $3.6 million for Parkdale Primary School for their new grade 2 building and $350,000 for the Aspendale Gardens Primary School to ensure that we have new shade sails over the playground and upgrades of the basketball court. I know the member for Mordialloc will be absolutely hoping for that on Tuesday, and we look forward to seeing that in Tuesday’s budget.

In Narre Warren North we are looking for $1 million for Narre Warren North Primary School for a new covered outdoor play area and $10 million for Fountain Gate Secondary College, which desperately needs these facilities, and I am sure that the member for Narre Warren North will be fighting hard and be very happy to announce that on Tuesday with the Treasurer.

The Oakleigh district need $5 million for Huntingdale Primary School to safely remove asbestos, to develop a master plan and for construction of a new playground and landscaping. Again, I have been out to Huntingdale Primary School, and I know they need that $5 million, and I hope we see the member for Oakleigh deliver that election promise on Tuesday.

Ringwood district desperately need to ensure $10 million for Norwood Secondary College for a world-class arts and technology centre, $500,000 for Marlborough Primary School, $300,000 for Tinternvale Primary School and $120,000 for Mullum Primary School. Finally, Yan Yean district need $700,000 for the Whittlesea Primary School to ensure they get some money as well.

Now, they are just a few. I am sure those members in those seats have picked up the phone to the Treasurer and said, ‘You know what, we need to be looking after our schools.’ We want to ensure we have a world-class system with the best possible facilities. These are some of the schools that desperately need those facilities. I look forward to the Treasurer being able to announce them on Tuesday on top of fixing the literacy and numeracy issues we have in this state and also reducing the cost – $100,000 in the lifetime of a student for a public education is too much when people are fighting with cost-of-living pressures, and the government need to do more to ensure we are not the most expensive place in the nation when it comes to our education, and we are not the worst when it comes to literacy, but we turn it around. Let us do more than have a slogan on a numberplate. Let us do more and actually deliver a world-class and quality education system with world-class facilities to go with it.

Colin BROOKS (Bundoora – Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:10): I am really pleased to be able to join this discussion on the education motion before the house this afternoon. I want to note that it is Education Week and thank all of the wonderful staff and teachers in the schools in my electorate. Also, I think it is important to take a short moment, while we are talking about education policy and the differences of opinion that might occur in the chamber, to join with those members who spoke on Tuesday around the bus crash in Eynesbury and the impact that has had on that school community. It is important for us to reflect on the impact that has had on the families, and we hope that those children and those families come through this. We do send our support and our best wishes to everyone involved and thank the people who went to the aid of those children.

I want to reflect on some of the achievements of this government in education and then talk about where we need to go further in education in this state. But it is important to set that in the context of what we have seen from Liberal and National governments historically, both the Baillieu–Napthine governments most recently and some time before that the Kennett government. I know that is some time ago, but it is worth reflecting on, because there is a pattern there in terms of the approach to education of those opposite. I do not mean this to be a pointed political attack, but I think it is worth drawing to the house’s attention the difference in the approach of –

Richard Riordan interjected.

Colin BROOKS: Yes, that is exactly right. The member opposite has pointed out that Labor has been in charge of education for some time, and many of the achievements that I will point to in a moment are the direct result of investment by the Andrews Labor government. But the pattern is very clear. When those opposite are in power, there are cuts to education. We saw that with the Kennett government. In my own electorate, there were a number of schools closed that are now housing estates. They were once schools for local children to attend. Then we saw with the Baillieu and Napthine governments a range of cuts to education – over half a billion dollars cut from the education budget.

One of the most disappointing parts of that approach from the Baillieu and Napthine governments at that particular time in history – and it goes to the point that the honourable member for Caulfield was making in relation to improving educational outcomes for this state – was the opportunity at that point to proceed with Gonski reforms. It was a chance to really push forward a national agenda across all states and territories to improve outcomes for all children, wherever they sat on the NAPLAN rankings, to ensure that they were able to progress and that there was a higher degree of equality in educational outcomes. That was a watershed moment in our education policy history, and I remember with some shame the then Baillieu–Napthine governments walking away from the Gonski reforms, and then other states followed that. I think that was a great missed opportunity for Victoria at that particular point in time to actually progress education and be a leader in terms of education, rather than walk away from those important reforms. That was shown in their policy approach to education here in Victoria. I remember very clearly the approach when you talked to schools at that time was that they felt they were all operating independently. Schools did not feel that they were part of a system or they had support from regional offices. They felt that each school basically was expected to sink or swim on their own. It was a different approach to that which the Andrews Labor government has taken, which has been to put those system supports in place and to share the learnings and the things that work well amongst all schools.

The other thing that was I think quite traumatic for many families in my community, and right across the state, was the absolutely devastating cuts to the TAFE system at that particular point in time. We saw over $1 billion cut from TAFE during the Napthine–Baillieu years. Two thousand teachers in the TAFE system were sacked. Twenty-two campuses were shut, including the Greensborough TAFE campus, which is now in my electorate but was just outside my electorate at the time. I remember bringing a very large petition to this place for people in my local community who wanted that TAFE campus back open again, providing training opportunities for particularly young people in my community.

I am very proud to say that one of the first things the Andrews Labor government did was to reopen that TAFE campus and get people back in there learning. I remember very clearly visiting that empty TAFE campus as a closed TAFE campus to have a look around. It was like something out of Jurassic Park. There was an abandoned building, and in the cafeteria there were timetables of the classes on the floor for classes that never happened – classes that should have occurred for young people to receive training, but because the campus had been closed those classes never actually occurred. So it is great that it is back open and we have got young people going through that TAFE again.

I am very proud of the Andrews Labor government’s reforms to early years and early childhood education. The Best Start, Best Life reforms are quite profound and probably do not get the amount of attention publicly that they deserve. I think Victorian families understand the importance of this. We get how important it is to provide our little ones with the very best early years education. Parents instinctively understand that that will set them up for later in life. Of course economists and all the research show that if you invest in those early years, it also pays dividends for the economy and for our society down the track as well and we also avoid a whole range of costs in the future. We are delivering 15 hours a week of three-year-old kindergarten by 2029, free kinder programs for all three- and four-year-old children at participating services from the start of this year and the four-year-old kindergarten transition to pre-prep, and that is a great reform. Pre-prep will make a big difference – particularly for many women who still find themselves with the caring responsibilities of young children. They will be freed up with that pre-prep program to get back into the workforce if they want to.

It is not just the early years but school education as well. I will come to the academic reforms, but there are a number of initiatives to support kids in our school system, many of whom are from vulnerable families and need that extra support. So there are breakfast clubs, now at 1000 schools; mental health practitioners in secondary and specialist schools; mental health and wellbeing leaders in all government and low-fee non-government primary schools; and disability inclusion reforms to ensure that those children with special learning needs or disabilities, whether they attend a specialist school or they are in a mainstream school, are properly supported. A big part of that is making sure that teachers have the skills and the tools to be able to support students with additional needs, and I am really pleased to see that disability inclusion reform providing funding to ensure that teachers get those extra skills and the support that they need. A particular shout-out at this point to the I Can Network, which is a great network that boosts pride and confidence in young people with autism in our schools as well. They do some really great work at participating schools.

I am really proud of the One VCE reforms. It was the Labor government that introduced VCAL to increase completion rates to year 12. I think it was Lynne Kosky who might have been the education minister at that time. It was a great Labor reform, and now to see that work taken further, that One VCE reform will make sure that students in those senior years can follow a vocational or academic pathway and complete year 12 with an appropriate qualification and, importantly, set them up for a really good pathway into further training and further education or into a job.

A really important part of investing in schools and education is the capital component. I remember, when the Napthine–Baillieu governments were in power, campaigning very hard for a school in my electorate that was quite run down, Greensborough secondary college. There was one point when the school council had to amend their uniform policy because the heating at the school did not work in the middle of winter. It was only when there was statewide media attention drawn to that issue that the minister allocated some funds to fix the gas heating at that school. I am very proud to say that the Andrews government has now completely rebuilt that school over three stages since we first came to office. It is a great thing to see the wonderful school buildings that are in Greensborough in the northern part of Melbourne.

We have also invested in Bundoora Primary School, again another very old school that has now been completely rebuilt, with one last stage nearing completion. Nearly $8 million has gone to Watsonia Heights Primary School, a fantastic school community. They will get new classroom buildings with some admin. Watsonia Primary School has had a wonderful upgrade as well, a great school in my electorate. Watsonia North Primary School is building a permanent building to replace portables that have been there for many years. Streeton Primary School, a lovely school that has had some structural issues with termites and flooding, is getting some significant funding to address those issues.

A range of other schools have received funding as well, to improve facilities and playground areas. Particularly I want to call out Concord special school in my electorate, which serves a wide catchment. They have had a $10 million allocation to improve their facilities as well – and Bundoora Secondary College, $10 million.

I can see the time is about to run out. (Time expired)

Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (15:20): It is with great pleasure that I rise today to address the motion put forth by the Minister for Education. While this motion seems to be nothing more than a self-congratulatory gesture by the Labor government, it fails to capture the true reality of the education situation across the state of Victoria, so I am grateful for this chance to give the government a reality check. I urge the Minister for Education to acknowledge and address the pressing issues faced by regional schools as they continue to be neglected by the current government. The irony of the statement ‘building the Education State’ becomes abundantly clear when we witness the inadequate infrastructure in regional Victorian schools.

In the town of Kilmore, a major growth area of our state with a booming population, there remains no public secondary school. The only secondary school in Kilmore is Assumption College, an undoubtedly excellent school. However, for many locals this private school is simply not a realistic option. Fees start at more than $8500 per year, and as much as $34,000 for boarding options. Meanwhile, the average family income in Kilmore and many neighbouring towns sits below the state’s median. Those unable to afford the fees at Assumption College are forced to send their children to schools out of town, which hardly aligns with the government’s claims of supporting student wellbeing. More than 300 students currently living in Kilmore travel to another town to seek education, with additional bus fees, time spent commuting, and a lack of time for hobbies, work and family all adding up. This issue has been raised several times. The Nationals made an election commitment to fund a business case for the school and multiple questions have been posed to the Minister for Education. While a site has been identified for the building of this school, in the minister’s own words:

… there are no immediate plans to fund the construction or building of a … school …

Meanwhile, neighbouring Broadford, another rising area of our great state, has been turning students away at their local secondary college. The school is at capacity yet is still expected to pick up the slack and support students from towns like Kilmore that remain without a public secondary school. To counter this, we made another election commitment to fund $8 million worth of upgrades to the school to improve their facilities and expand their ability to welcome students. Yet again this issue has been raised with the minister on multiple occasions. The responses have been inconsistent, to say the least. In February we were told by the minister that the school was not experiencing enrolment issues. Then in March we were told they received an enrolment management plan, limiting the amount of students that could enrol. This government is out of touch; clueless behaviour does not strike me as being worthy of the praise suggested in this motion. Regional students should not have to settle for second best, particularly when the Labor government is boasting about the work they are doing.

The issues faced by Kilmore and Broadford are not isolated incidents. Seymour College continue to campaign for the final piece of funding to complete their rebuild, only to be consistently ignored by the Labor government. The Nationals understand the value these schools hold for their communities, whereas the Melbourne-focused Labor government appears to be out of touch and indifferent to the needs of regional areas.

When it comes to kindergarten and child care, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the deep-rooted issues that plague our system. The problem with accessibility to preschool and kinder extends beyond the direct cost of tuition. Many areas, including a significant portion of the Euroa electorate, are classified as childcare deserts, where there are less than 0.33 childcare places available per child in our community. It is disheartening to hear stories of parents who are struggling to make ends meet, yet are unable to work because they cannot secure reliable care for their children. The state is experiencing a labour crisis and a cost-of-living crisis, and the lack of accessible child care exacerbates these challenges. The burden falls disproportionately on parents who are financially strained, preventing them from engaging in meaningful work opportunities that could provide economic stability for their families. Our major towns are not inaccessible backwaters, but they are placed at a disadvantage when child care is so rare.

Within my electorate, we have got huge shortages in Avenel, Nagambie and Seymour. While Seymour is receiving a new childcare centre, these issues will not be resolved overnight. Some towns simply do not have any kinder, which has a massive impact on the town’s future, with families choosing to relocate most of their lives to bigger centres like Shepparton. In metro areas childcare centres are usually separated from kindergartens, whereas this is not the case in regional areas. An extra kinder place can mean losing a childcare place, and with pressure on both waitlists in places like Nagambie it is just not sustainable for the community, with kids and families continually missing out. I have experienced this firsthand, with my daughter on a waitlist for two years, and we need to have a serious conversation on reform and simplification to make this process work for our local economy and most importantly our families. I might add my daughter is two years old.

On a last point, I want to bring up the difficulties my electorate has had with changes to TAFE facilities, particularly in Benalla, where my electorate office is based. The government has proudly announced the availability of over 70 free TAFE courses in an attempt to address Victoria’s job shortage and bolster education. While this might warrant a high five and applause on the surface by this government, a closer look reveals the stark reality that this initiative is falling short of making any meaningful impact. In Benalla the purpose-built facility that once served the community was closed down and handed over to a local Christian school behind closed doors. In its place an old ANZ bank building now functions as the TAFE, a woefully inadequate environment that is hardly conducive to learning.

Our local education advocate David Moore said that despite Benalla having a large aviation industry, the government has not considered the need for courses surrounding aviation, drones or mechanics. Mr Moore said this oversight only compounds the problem and further undermines the potential for meaningful job growth in the region. Nonetheless, the Labor government unveiled this new TAFE location with much fanfare and self-congratulation, complete with oversize banners and press releases, but the community can see straight through this. The reality is that students have been forced to travel to other towns and campuses to continue their education, further burdening them and their families. In addition to the inadequacies of the current course offerings, the government has prematurely removed some courses before they even had a chance to grow. Mr Moore said this short-sightedness not only stifles innovation but also limits the opportunities for students to find fulfilling careers.

This ill-conceived plan has cost the community much more than just a quality education. TAFE completion rates are plummeting, and dropout rates in the first year are on the rise. One constituent told me this was a backward step in a struggling community. When I hear the Labor government commend themselves on building the Education State, I implore them to remove their Melbourne-tinted glasses and face the stark reality of our education system. They must strip away the facade of self-congratulation and acknowledge the ongoing issues with education in regional Victoria. The current government’s myopic, Melbourne-centric perspective has left regional communities neglected, burdened and struggling to secure a promising future for their children. The issues plaguing Kilmore, Broadford, Seymour, Benalla and countless others are not isolated incidents. They are the result of a government that has consistently failed to address the needs of regional Victorians. We must demand better for our students and our families, ensuring that quality education and child care are available for every Victorian.

No longer can we allow regional students to settle for second best. It is time for the government to not just build the Education State in name alone but to take tangible action that delivers real change and opportunities for the people who need them most. Creating a truly inclusive, equitable and thriving education system that empowers our communities, drives economic growth and cultivates a brighter future for all Victorians is imperative. Just finally, I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the outstanding staff and teachers in my electorate of Euroa. Both our students and parents are grateful for all you do.

Paul HAMER (Box Hill) (15:29): It is with pleasure that I join to contribute to today’s motion that was introduced by the Minister for Education. It is always a great pleasure to speak about education in this house, given the huge investment that the Andrews Labor government has made across all ages in education. Can I start by acknowledging and saying happy Education Week to all the Victorians out there, particularly those who are at kinder and at school.

I am not sure if it was for Education Week or not – it is always difficult seeing family during the weeks that Parliament is sitting – but I know for my youngest son, who is in grade 1, they did organise an excursion this week to the Royal Botanic Gardens, and he was very excited. In the short time that I have actually had to speak with him this week, when our two worlds have collided, I have said, ‘What happened? How was the excursion? What did you do?’ I think all that I have been able to extract from him was that the bus was delayed by 30 minutes. I am sure there was a lot more learning that went on other than the fact that the timetable of the bus did not work. He has a keen interest in transport just like his dad, which is terrific, but I am sure that it was a very enjoyable learning experience.

The learning really does start from our youngest Victorians, from three-year-old kinder. It has been a real privilege to be part of a government that has rolled out the three-year-old kinder program, and now there is the commitment to having a full-time, 30-hour-a-week four-year-old kinder program. These building blocks of education are just so important to the education journey that our children and the students of Victoria go on. It really sets them up for a pattern of lifelong learning. There is much academic research to demonstrate just how beneficial the educational advantages of kinder are.

Obviously we have also had the government’s policy of getting rid of the double drop-off and co-locating the kinders with the construction of primary schools, which is fantastic news for parents. I was lucky enough to be able to send my children to a school that also had a kinder as part of its single unit, and I must say that certainly benefited me greatly as a parent. But it also greatly benefits the children, and I see that in one of our local schools, which I have spoken about on many occasions, Box Hill North Primary School. They were one of the very first schools, in particular one of the very first government schools, that actually had a kinder which was co-located with the primary school, and they have done that since about the mid-1990s. I have been really pleased that we were able to deliver a significant capital upgrade to that school in the last term of government, which has recently been completed, and that means more classrooms for their prep and grade 1 students.

There really is a seamless transition. Parents can bring their children to the kinders and then from that they can graduate and progress into the primary school. As I said, it is not just the benefit for the parents but the fact that the students, the children there, when they are three and four and they are just starting their journey, can see their older siblings when they are coming there. So they already get a feel for the environment. They can see what the environment is like for their later years, and it makes that transition into prep all that much easier.

The motion also notes that the government is delivering hundreds of new schools and school upgrades, and it would be remiss of me not to reiterate the enormous capital investment that is going into the schools in the Box Hill district. When I came in in 2018 I made a point of visiting all my local schools, as I have done repeatedly since that time, and look, it did disappoint me to see the lack of investment prior to that date. We have worked very hard with all the staff and the parents of those school communities to deliver as much as possible over this period of time.

I want to just again put on record some of the significant investment that we are putting into our local schools. Aurora School down in Blackburn South is a special school for deaf and deafblind children. We are modernising the school to give students better learning facilities. At Blackburn High we completed a $10 million STEM centre just at the end of 2022. It is just an amazing, fantastic facility. We even managed to officially open that building with a robot, so we were all pretty much unnecessary. The students had built a robot which managed to cut the ribbon, which was absolutely fantastic. There has been investment in Box Hill High, with new three-storey portables to accommodate the massive growth that they have been experiencing and also upgrades to their amenities. Box Hill North Primary School, as I mentioned – new classrooms for the prep and grade 1 students. Kerrimuir Primary School is a growing school. Over 500 students are now at this fantastic primary school in Box Hill North. In the 2021 budget we committed funding for a multipurpose venue and gymnasium, which is something that the school community had been crying out for for many, many years.

Koonung Secondary College – we have finally started work on a redevelopment of that campus. I was very pleased to see that we made an election commitment for stage 2 of Koonung Secondary College, and I am very much looking forward to next week’s budget, when I hope that that commitment will be fulfilled. Laburnum Primary School – I think it is our largest primary school in the Box Hill electorate. It was $9 million that was in the 2022 budget, if I can recall correctly, and that was to modernise the school and provide a lot more learning spaces for that school. What else do we have? The Orchard Grove Primary School is a fantastic school down in Blackburn South that is also desperately in need of improvements. We were able to secure a $13.5 million commitment at the election, which again was something that I know the school community had pushed long and hard for. So I was really happy to announce that, and again I am looking forward to that coming through in the budget. There are many other schools. What other schools do we have in our electorate? Wattle Park Primary School is a school that has come into the electorate. I know that they received funds for the replacement of their LOTE building, which is being rolled out.

In total almost $50 million in funding was received in the last four years, the last term of government, and it is a real priority of mine to be investing in schools, because I know how much of a difference it makes to these school communities and to all the staff and educators at these schools to have world-class facilities. That is certainly what they need.

Can I just finish my contribution by commending the government for implementing the One VCE program. I was out a month or two ago with the Premier and the Minister for Education seeing this roll out at Box Hill High – one that had not had a VCAL program – and seeing what some of those students were now taking on for the very first time and how much of a difference it is going to make for them. I commend the motion to the house.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:39): I rise to speak on the Minister for Education’s motion and go specifically to its elements regarding school upgrades and school infrastructure. I would like to start by putting that into some recent context. The last budget stated that of the 13 new metro school constructions, 85 per cent occurred in Labor electorates; 82 per cent of the 22 schools upgraded were in Labor electorates; and 82 per cent of the metro school upgrades were in Labor electorates. On five out of six occasions in the last budget those upgrades occurred in Labor electorates. And we know that in the budget prior, 80 per cent of the 35 metro school upgrades were in Labor electorates, and 85 per cent of the 78 metro school upgrades announced in the year prior to that were in Labor electorates. Those do sound like numbers, but what they show is that Labor funding skews overwhelmingly to neglect electorates that are not held by the government. And that is shameful. It is shameful that by holding 60 per cent of the seats in this chamber they are directing 80 per cent of funding into those 60 per cent of seats – it is pork-barrelling, and we have seen it in the last three budgets.

Let me tell you why it matters. I would like to specifically start by mentioning the wonderful Brighton Primary School, which has served my community since 1875. It is an incredible school. It is an incredible and big school in my community that serves over 650 young kids. That school has not had any meaningful state government infrastructure funding in anybody’s living memory. The last thing that happened at that school was that in the 1970s demountables were brought into the school. Those demountables were placed next to a train line, and those demountables have remained untouched since then – the 1970s, when people were wearing flares. Let me explain, though, why that is such an egregious overlook by the government. Those demountables house and are the place of learning for children with hearing difficulties. It is the place where the school runs their hearing impairment unit, and those demountables are next to a train line. I am sure we can, in this place, understand why it would be so egregious for the government to be overlooking a school and not allowing students who have genuine need to be learning in a place adequate to what they deserve. It is shameful.

I know that the parents and the community are so upset – and that is the right word – by the standard of infrastructure that they have recently spoken out publicly, which is very hard for parents. When parents take the step of talking to the media about their disappointment and frustration, often it just comes out of their genuine upset on behalf of their children, and that is what happened in the case of Brighton Primary. But it is not the only school in my electorate that has been neglected, though you will hear a lot more about Brighton Primary because it is unacceptable for children with hearing difficulties to be in a 50-year-old demountable next to a train line. And you mark my words, you are going to be hearing more about the needs of that school.

I would also like to refer to Elwood Primary School in Elwood, which is an incredible school as well. It is an incredible school that has been servicing Elwood for almost as long. It is a historic school. Many of the schools in my community are historic 100-year-old schools. That school has effectively no disabled access off the ground floor. There is currently a stairwell chairlift that was installed in the 1970s that takes 20 minutes to go up a floor – 20 minutes. There are disabled children at the school, and every time that chairlift goes up one floor, the entire school cohort has to stop and watch those children go up the stairs, because the stairwell is blocked from access by any other children. It means that any child with disabilities is watched as they go that short distance up the stairs and also misses 20 minutes of their 40-minute class. So if you are disabled at Elwood Primary School, you are watched for 20 minutes as a 50-year-old chairlift goes up one floor, and you miss your class. This issue has been raised with the department because it is unconscionable what is happening. Do you know what the department’s response was? ‘Well, why not bring all the grade 2 classrooms down onto the ground floor?’ – in that case for that one disabled child. ‘Why not move all grade 2 classes?’ Imagine how that child would feel. It is outrageous. Another piece of advice was, ‘Why doesn’t someone just lift the child upstairs?’

The advice has been outrageous, and both in terms of Brighton Primary School and Elwood Primary School I think it is fair for both communities to now be saying, ‘We have tried to be constructive. We’ve tried to be reasonable in our wants and requests for adequate government funding’, but when they look and see that five out of six occasions of school funding are going into Labor electorates over genuine schools in need, they will speak out, and so they should. They should speak out because it is unacceptable what is occurring for these kids. These kids deserve the type of facilities that any school anywhere else would get – sorry, any school in any Labor electorate would get. Brighton Beach Primary School recently had an audit with 1200 items that need attention – 1200 items. It is a historic school, it is a similarly aged school, doing incredible work in our community – 1200 items, none of them attended to.

The issues in our schools are genuine. When you look on the department’s website – I have spoken about this before – the department have a terrific website where they flag school funding. What you see if you look in the southern region is a map of school funding heavily based and slanted towards the seat of Bentleigh. I think that everyone in this place knows that pork-barrelling a number of terms ago occurred in the Bentleigh electorate. But what you see is flags around the southern region, and there is a long gap – a big, obvious gap – in school funding, and that gap is the Brighton electorate. It is not just me saying this. The department is advertising the fact. When you look at the map, you can see the Brighton electorate has been neglected wilfully with funding. Children with hearing difficulties are learning in 50-year-old demountables next to a train line; disabled children are being told, ‘You can’t have proper facilities to help you learn.’ ‘Why don’t you change the classroom configuration of the school or just lift the kid?’ How outrageous. How demeaning. Why? Because that child lives in an electorate that is held by a Liberal member. It is absolutely outrageous.

It is clearly the case that pork-barrelling is occurring in the allocation of school funding. You can see it yourself – the department advertise it proudly on their own website. The electorate of Brighton is wilfully ignored, and I would say to the government as they crow about school funding: how can they do so so unconscionably in saying to children, especially those with difficulties or disabilities, ‘We don’t want to help you. We don’t want to help you because you live in the wrong suburb. We believe you live in the wrong suburb’? It is outrageous.

I understand that the community will now be speaking a lot louder about those inadequacies in school funding, and I will be with those parents and schools, because it is time for the government to be called out and to stop saying to those children who are deserving and in need, ‘We don’t want to help you.’ It is not good enough.

Lily D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park – Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (15:49): I move:

That the debate be now adjourned.

Motion agreed to and debate adjourned.

Ordered that debate be adjourned until later this day.