Wednesday, 11 September 2024

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (19:07): (834) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the record investments the Victorian Labor government have been making to deliver the Education State across my electorate, including for Pascoe Vale Primary School. As the local member for Pascoe Vale, as a local parent and as the proud product of our local public education system, I am committed to doing everything I can to help continually improve local schools for local families, including Pascoe Vale Primary.

First established way back in 1891, Pascoe Vale Primary, situated at the top of the Gaffney Street hill and bounded by Cumberland Road, Wilna Street and Eddie Street, is one of the oldest schools in my community. For 133 years the school has had a longstanding tradition of educating young people, instilling a proud sense of community spirit in students and preparing them for their lives and careers ahead. That is why I was so happy to again visit the school on 6 August to meet with school principal Anne Naughton; assistant principal Meredith Lamb; school council presidents, representatives and members, including Deborah Cownley, Lauren Blair, Robin Pleasants, Marla Fistel and Yvette Jones ‍– the amazing fundraising coordinator; student leaders – school captains Vinaaya and Daniel and vice-captains Havy and Lachlan, sports leader Violet, community leader Zoe, arts leader Juno and sustainability leader Ellery – and to commend the work of the school’s leaders, teachers, admin support staff, volunteers and students, including Rita Davide, the mental health leader.

It was great to receive an update – and I welcome the minister coming to see this as well – on the school’s good work and its ongoing priorities, including the delivery and benefits of their master plan and game-changing $18.6 million new learning facilities proudly being funded by this Labor government; $7.7 million for a brand new competition-grade indoor gym, new playground and landscaping works, which are currently under construction; $7.8 million for the delivery of a new science, technology arts and maths – STEAM – centre, which is now well and truly in operation; and $3 million to modernise and extend the school’s historic building A with refurbished classrooms and new administration and staff spaces; and to hear about the school being listed in the top five NAPLAN performing schools in the north-west. It was also a great pleasure to meet with students Sienna, Nash and Violet to celebrate the news that we are also investing $1.4 million to deliver a brand new signalised pedestrian crossing on Gaffney Street between Ann Street and Wilna Street to improve local road safety.

Notwithstanding these investments, the school is very keen to receive an update from the minister on the rollout of these and other local education commitments ahead of my next visit to the school on 9 ‍October to take part in what promises to be a very engaging and fruitful Q and A discussion with students. As part of this I look forward to providing the school community with an update on the rollout of our $400 school saving bonus to help families cover the cost of school supplies, the free school breakfast program, the Smile Squad and free dental in schools program, the free glasses and vision screening for kids program and the mental health and wellbeing resource initiatives to help with neurodiversity challenges that students may be experiencing.

But it is also outside the school gates that we are investing to improve local learning opportunities for Pascoe Vale families. We are rolling out free kinder for three- and four-year-olds, saving families $2500 a year. There is $1.5 million for a new Pascoe Vale Community Centre kinder, which we just opened and there are our local high schools, all of which we are investing record amounts into upgrading – Coburg High, Pascoe Vale Girls, Glenroy College, John Fawkner College and Strathmore.