My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek is for the minister to come to the Prahran electorate and visit St Kilda Primary School to hear from students and the school community as to why they desperately need a community hub to be built at the school. I recently visited this wonderful local public school in the Prahran electorate, with its thriving, close-knit community and dedicated team of staff. It currently lacks an indoor space large enough for the whole school to congregate for assemblies, performances and community activities, and this really limits the school’s ability to provide high-quality, inclusive physical education or wellbeing programs. This lack of appropriate quality indoor space is negatively impacting the school’s students. Students are missing out on important PE classes. Students with disabilities cannot access the oval. Students are crammed into the limited indoor space the school has or have to travel to other schools for their special events. The graduation ceremony has been held in the pouring rain. Community groups who wish to use the school facilities have been turned away because there is no appropriate school space for them.
The school has developed a master plan for a multipurpose community hub which would allow for assemblies and PE in inclement weather and provide for excellent sporting and recreation facilities for the school and the wider community. This project would improve the opportunities for the school to come together for ceremonies and graduation programs, really expand those educational opportunities for students and provide for much-needed out-of-school-hours care facilities, but despite continuous efforts by the school to secure funding with the government, no progress has been made.
The community hub would also benefit the wider community, help address the shortage of indoor basketball and netball facilities in the local area within the City of Port Phillip, provide for exhibition and performance spaces and enable really important community partnerships to continue. Previously a sports hall was demolished in 2019, with an understanding that a community hub would be built to replace it, but unfortunately almost four years later there is no hub, and it is needed more than ever. So I really urge the minister to meet with the school community, get an understanding of just how critical this community hub is and then fund the construction in the upcoming state budget.
Response from the Minister for Education
The Victorian Government is committed to growing educational opportunities for all Victorians. We have invested $14.9 billion over the past 9 years to build new schools and modernise existing educational facilities across Victoria. Our ongoing responsibility is to balance and prioritise the needs of over 1,570 government schools, all with varying requirements.
As you are aware, St Kilda Primary School has been the worthy recipient of capital works funding in recent years. The school was allocated $5.46 million in the 2018–19 State Budget, $503,400 in the 2019–20 State Budget, and $4.53 million under the 2020 Building Works Package. This funding delivered a large multi-storey education building on the Brighton Road side of the school in the first quarter of 2022. Additional landscaping and car park works are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. These have been funded using funds left over from the school’s Building Works project. The school was also allocated $200,000 under the fourth round of the Inclusive Schools Fund to build an inclusive indoor learning space and outdoor sensory play area. These works were completed in 2019, and I trust that students are enjoying these facilities.
When allocating funding for school upgrades and subsequent stages of existing projects, the Victorian Government uses all available information, including condition assessments, enrolment projections, and pre-existing project plans.
In response to your concern regarding the need for a large indoor space at the school, I am aware that the school has an unfunded stage of its masterplan, which includes the construction of a new gymnasium, the demolition of the Sakura Building, construction of outdoor play and landscaping, relocation of the kitchen garden, maintenance works to existing site drainage and reinstate oval in altered location and redevelop external play areas. These works are subject to funding in future State Budgets.
I can assure you that the infrastructure needs of all schools, including St Kilda Primary School, will continue to be considered when determining future priorities for the capital works program. We will continue to use all available data when allocating funding in future State Budgets.
Thank you for the invitation to meet with the school community. I would be pleased to do so when my schedule permits.
