Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Youth justice system

Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:29): (1472) You know what they say – a week is a long time in politics. Well, a day for the Minister for Education Mr Carroll is a very long time. I am glad Minister Erdogan is here tonight to hear this, because obviously being from the same faction perhaps you can help remediate the situation for us, Minister, so please take as many notes as you can. But poor Mr Carroll. He cannot put a foot right at the moment. Do I have sympathy for him? No, I really do not, but nonetheless –

Members interjecting.

Nick McGOWAN: But where to start with Minister Carroll? Let me just suggest that Minister Carroll perhaps more regularly speak with the Premier, because clearly one does not know what the other is doing.

Credit also has to go to an FM station, to Fifi Box. If you listen to the FM stations, as I regularly do – I am a big fan of Fox and I am a big fan of the Austereo network in fact, and a big shout-out to them and well done for the work they do. If you were listening to them recently, they actually shouted out the fact that there was this plan, this secret plan by this government to actually put in the order of 50 young offenders in schools. Being the Minister for Corrections, I hope they briefed you on this. This could have been a question to you, Minister, but no, this is –

Enver Erdogan: You missed your chance.

Nick McGOWAN: Well, there is such confusion and chaos in your government right now. There is such confusion and chaos I do not know where to begin. I do not know where the policy starts, the bureaucrat finishes and the politician actually gets involved. But what we do know is this: in front of the cameras today Minister Carroll was at pains to point out that he had no idea. The first he knew was when he read it in the Herald Sun – the Herald Sun. It is not like he got the memo from the office. No, he got the Herald Sun – he woke up and, wow, there is what his department is doing. But in question time today the Premier had to correct the record. Apparently, the program is proceeding.

Minister, we are very confused about this. I am very confused about this. No-one in Victoria knows what is going on. Obviously, you are the minister. On the very same day, guess what else happened in the Department of Education? That is right, I heard you say that, Minister. That is correct. There were 65 exams we know last year were leaked online – 65. One of the worst, in fact the worst leak of exams in this state’s history.

David Davis: And that’s after the failure the year before.

Nick McGOWAN: Multiple failures in multiple years and multiple reports warning of the failures, and still they did nothing about it. But today we learned an extra four exams had errors, and in one exam there were actually three errors. I mean, the litany of mistakes by this education minister is just gargantuan.

David Davis interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: It is horribly unfair to our children. There is no two ways about that, Mr Davis. But in addition to that, what is horribly unfair to the children who are trying to seek the education they deserve is now they have been told they have 50 young offenders sitting next to them. And these are the offenders who are prone to not observing their bail, which is even worse. The action I seek from Minister Carroll, in addition to obviously speaking with his cabinet colleagues and the Premier before he announces things publicly or perhaps reads his brief rather than reading it in the Herald Sun, whichever he wishes to do, is that the minister provide a list of the schools targeted by this government to actually insert these young offenders into their schools.