Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to bring the attention of the House to the North Melbourne Primary School, located in my electorate of Melbourne. I was recently sent a number of letters by year 3 students at this school. I would like to read some of those letters to the House. Nine-year-old Ryan wrote: 'I am writing to you because of how worried I am about my school. Next year there are more children entering our school. We already have 610 kids in our school. We have already lost a quarter of our library. Can you please help us by putting demountables into our school?' Gina, who is eight years old, wrote: 'This year our school is crowded, but next year it is going to be even bigger. We are thinking of getting demountables, otherwise we will lose some of our specialist rooms. We have already lost some of our library and we do not want to lose more!' Mahdi wrote: 'It is getting really full in North Melbourne Primary School.' Sidney wrote: 'Next year our school will be stuffed with students. I would like to ask you if we could have a few demountables so we will not be so jammed.' Andy, an eight-year-old, wrote: 'I am really worried about the art room being a classroom, because I love doing art.' Olive wrote: 'We will learn better in classrooms, not the library.' Emily, Axel, Liban, James and Harrison also wrote to me to tell me that North Melbourne Primary School is crowded and needs new demountables.

Over 600 students are currently enrolled in North Melbourne Primary School, with numbers set to rise. The department of education is projecting almost a doubling in the number of children seeking to enrol in the school in coming years. This year there were over 40 additional enrolments from the school zone. To make space for classes, teachers have given up a staff room. The new flexible learning space and up to two-thirds of the library are also being used to give classes and, as a result, cannot be used for the purposes they were built for.

Many primary schools in my electorate and across the inner city are experiencing high demand for places. This is also the case for secondary school education, with schools such as University High in my electorate under pressure from large numbers of applications from families living within their school zones. In some zones it has become increasingly hard to ensure that brothers and sisters can attend the same school. I have heard from parents who have been forced to move to a new home a few blocks away to keep their kids at the same school.

My electorate of Melbourne is diverse. There are more people living in public housing in Melbourne than in any other electorate in the country, and many people have a migrant or refugee background. Meanwhile, in places like Docklands and North Melbourne, more and more young families are moving into apartments or new housing developments. The provision of vital public infrastructure and community assets such as schools, libraries and open spaces must keep pace with development in the inner part of Melbourne.

I have been out talking to the community with Ellen Sandell, the Greens candidate for Melbourne in the coming Victorian election, which includes North Melbourne Primary School. Parents tell Ellen all the time how important their kids' education is and that they are concerned when pressure is placed on school infrastructure. This problem needs a fair and sustainable solution. We must put more money into public education. We want to be part of finding that sustainable solution to ensure that our schools have the right resources.

North Melbourne Primary School is a very successful school, with outstanding teachers and staff who are providing a great education to local children. We need to make sure that North Melbourne, and all schools, get the support and infrastructure that they need. Today I say 'thank you' to the students of the year 3 class at North Melbourne Primary School and their teacher. I am very glad that they are concerned enough about their school to raise this important issue. The Greens are committed to public education to ensure the future of children like those who wrote me these letters.