2015-10-07
Ms Dunn - My constituency question is to the Minister for Education. Many members of my community are very concerned about overcrowding in schools in the suburbs within the City of Banyule. These are suburbs from Ivanhoe in the south to St Helena in the north, from Bundoora in the west to Montmorency in the east. Schools in Banyule are at their limit, and the closure of Bellfield Primary School, Haig Street Primary School and Banksia Latrobe Secondary College in 2011 made the situation much worse. There is only one public high school in the southern part of Banyule, and it is at capacity.
This is simply not good enough. All children deserve to have access to high-quality public schools. That should not be determined by postcode. Many communities around Victoria are in need of new schools or school upgrades, be they primary or secondary, and it is important that these decisions be made in an open and transparent manner and based on need. Will the minister commit to ensuring that the Bellfield, Haig Street and Banksia college sites are reserved for public use and not disposed of?
ANSWER:
The Andrews Labor Government is committed to investing in education and school infrastructure, and this has been demonstrated through the allocation of $730 million to school facilities in the 2015-16 State Budget. The funding provided through the State budget represents a crucial first step in creating the Education State, and the Government is committed to investing in school infrastructure throughout this term of government.
As part of the Heidelberg Regeneration project, three schools in the Banyule area were closed in 2011. All three sites were declared surplus to educational requirements and subsequently sold to the City of Banyule.
The Department of Education and Training is currently conducting a review into school provision in the Banyule and Ivanhoe area.
The Department is inviting community members to engage with the review and share local information and perspectives.
The review seeks to assess the level of need generated from the Banyule community for primary and secondary school education.
Hon James Merlino
Minister for Education