Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Northern Metropolitan Region

Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (13:01): (803) My constituency question is for the Minister for Education. Pascoe Vale South Primary School in my electorate have excelled at providing primary education to the children of my electorate for over 70 years, and yet their pleas to redevelop the much-needed school administration building are being ignored by the state government. Over the past five years the school has applied to the Minor Capital Works Fund for a covered outdoor learning area but, sadly, has been unsuccessful in receiving any funding. The original 1954 administration building is outdated, limits the staff’s ability to meet legal and financial obligations and is inaccessible for students, families and staff with a disability. Growing student enrolments mean that the administration building no longer meets the capacity and needs of the students, staff and school community. The school is seeking a budget commitment of $4.7 million in funding in the 2024–25 budget to help upgrade the 70-year-old administration building and to construct a new covered outdoor learning area. Minister, will you commit and provide the required funding to the Pascoe Vale South Primary School to build the essential infrastructure to meet accessibility, OH&S and legal requirements and to reflect the school’s inclusive and collaborative culture?