Hansard debates

Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (19:16:49): (528) My adjournment item is for the Minister for Education and Deputy Premier. The action I seek is for the minister to visit the Ivanhoe electorate, particularly schools in my electorate. What I would say in particular is that there are not only several projects that have concluded but also others we made commitments to in the recent election, at which Victorians affirmed overwhelmingly the re-election of the Andrews government. But can I say that just across the border of my electorate there was the $10.8 million Kew High School commitment. It is a school that is particularly relevant to the southern end of my electorate in Ivanhoe and East Ivanhoe, where both primary schools have developed a very strong relationship by sending their students to that school. In fact when we made our announcement there at Kew last year one of the school captains was actually a former East Ivanhoe Primary School student. The second stage of Ivanhoe Primary School is also now underway. The first stage was opened by the Treasurer just prior to the last election. At my old school, Viewbank College, we opened a $10.5 million project with the Premier just before the last election. The Olympic Village Primary School project down in West Heidelberg should open in term 4 this year. It would be good to inspect the works there. That project is humming along. Of course there is that second stage at Ivanhoe Primary School, and we could inspect those works. There is the great collaborative work the Deputy Premier has done to secure the long-term lease of the old Mother of God Catholic primary school adjoining East Ivanhoe Primary School so that we can expand the offering for East Ivanhoe Primary School students in that community and continue to have a good arrangement with Catholic education to allow that old school site to be maintained for community use. It was really important and just shows what common sense can bring to pass when you are working with a sensible government and practical people at Catholic education. Further to that, our commitment at the election of $5 million for Macleod College is another project that we could have some further discussions about on the ground. Of course there is the very hardworking Parliamentary Secretary for Schools, the member for Mordialloc, and if the Deputy Premier felt so inclined, given the significant commitments he needs to meet right across the state and the investments that have been made by our government, of course I would welcome having his parliamentary secretary visit the Ivanhoe electorate in his stead. He would be most welcome too. There is plenty going on when it comes to education in the Ivanhoe electorate, in large part thanks to the support of the Deputy Premier and the Premier. I look forward to working through those projects—having a look at what we have achieved so far, the projects that are now under construction and those that we made further commitments to—to ensure they are delivered as soon as possible for the constituents of the Ivanhoe electorate.