Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Adjournment

Birmingham Primary School

Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (19:00): (591) Birmingham Primary School in Mount Evelyn is an excellent local school and one of the largest state primary schools in the Evelyn electorate, with nearly 700 students. The matter I raise is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek on behalf of the Birmingham Primary School community – the students, the teachers and the families – is for the government to allocate much-needed funding in the upcoming state budget to build a new indoor multipurpose stadium inclusive of a gymnasium, kitchen facilities, change rooms and storage.

Currently Birmingham Primary School has no indoor gym facility that can accommodate all teachers and staff in one location, and school assemblies and physical activities currently held outdoors are compromised when it is extremely hot, raining or stormy, as is often the case in Mount Evelyn. I have visited Birmingham Primary School many times – and I pay tribute to the amazing work of principal Trish Enzinger, all of the teachers and the parent volunteers – and have seen firsthand how this new stadium would provide significant benefit to the school. The outdoor court covers are no longer fit for purpose, and the Department of Education would be aware of just how vital it is to allocate sufficient funds to this major infrastructure project for Birmingham Primary School to ensure it has fit-for-purpose and modern learning facilities. It would enable all school assemblies to be held indoors, as well as concerts and performances, presentation events and physical activities when the weather outside is poor. Additionally, this multipurpose stadium would provide a much-needed community hub in times of bushfire, severe storms and flood emergency, which happen relatively often in Mount Evelyn, unfortunately, and it is certainly an initiative that is supported by the local Mount Evelyn fire brigade.

In 2022 it was my pleasure to announce the Victorian Liberals had listened to this school community and would commit $6.4 million to build a modern, state-of-the-art multipurpose school stadium when in government. So far, unfortunately, this Labor government has failed to match our commitment, which is why I am seeking this important action ahead of the upcoming state budget for this new facility that the Birmingham Primary School community needs and deserves for school assemblies, sports and performing arts, and a place where the Mount Evelyn community can come and gather for important community events or as an emergency refuge in times of bushfire and severe storms.