Schools Funding | Constituency Question & Response

Ms VAGHELA (Western Metropolitan):

My constituency question is for the Minister for Education and Deputy Premier, the Honourable James Merlino, MP. This constituency question relates to the minister’s portfolio responsibilities for education.

In the term 3 planned maintenance program, over 200 schools will receive more than $17 million in funding to facilitate the essential work on school grounds and classrooms such as fixing roofs and windows, painting, resurfacing floors and replacing windows, as well as external landscaping works like pathways and lighting. This funding will ensure our schools will be fostering a safe and positive learning environment for Victorian children.

This investment is in addition to more than $22 million already invested through term 1 and term 2 planned maintenance program allocations to ensure that existing buildings at Victoria’s state schools are not only safe but modern and properly maintained. These essential maintenance works are decided by using up-to-date information on the condition of schools to create a faster and more targeted allocation of investment.

My question to the minister is: can the minister please advise how many schools in the Western Metropolitan Region will be allocated funding for the term 3 planned maintenance program?

Reply:

James Merlino MP Deputy Premier, Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health (12 October 2021):

I thank the Member for Western Metropolitan for her question.

The Rolling Facilities Evaluation (RFE) program assesses the condition of buildings and site infrastructure for all schools across the portfolio on a five-yearly basis. Funds to rectify high-priority maintenance tasks are allocated quarterly, through the Planned Maintenance Program (PMP).

The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) assists schools in managing and delivering these works, as well as providing tools and advice to improve the maintenance and management of school assets. This will improve the safety and condition of school facilities for children, staff, and the school community.

On 9 September 2021, the Victorian Government announced the Term 3 allocation of the PMP. As part of this announcement, the following 17 schools in the Western Metropolitan region were allocated a total of $740,000 to fund high priority maintenance works identified in the RFE:
– Brookside P-9 College
– Debney Meadows Primary School
– Footscray Primary School
– Hoppers Crossing Secondary College
– Keilor Heights Primary School
– Keilor Primary School
– Maribyrnong Secondary College
– Mount Alexander 7-12 College
– Newport Lakes Primary School
– Niddrie Autistic School
– Parkwood Green Primary School
– St Albans Heights Primary School
– Strathmore Primary School
– Suzanne Cory High School
– Tullamarine Primary School
– Wembley Primary School
– Western Autistic School

I trust that this information is of assistance.