Tim PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade and Investment) (09:40):

I rise today to update the house on the progress of the Manor Lakes P–12 College upgrade in my electorate of Werribee. In the 2021 state budget the Andrews Labor government announced $9.4 million towards the upgrade and expansion of the school. This investment will replace temporary facilities with permanent buildings that will allow the school to offer places to an extra 400 local students. I am pleased to say that the builder has now been appointed for this project and work will commence this term. I also take the opportunity to welcome the college’s new principal Scott Dellar and thank outgoing principal Steve Warner for their contributions to this important project.

The electorate, and Wyndham as a whole, is a fast-growing area of Melbourne’s west, and it is important that our educational institutions address this growth to ensure that every child has access to quality local education in modern facilities. That is why the Andrews Labor government has opened primary schools at Riverwalk, Riverbend, Ngarri and Lollypop Creek in the past four years, and three more schools are set to open in 2024. Known by their interim names, Lollypop Creek Secondary School, Lollypop Creek Specialist School and Black Forest East Primary School, they are currently under construction, and might I add they are already looking great. I am looking forward to seeing the progress of the Manor Lakes college upgrade and the opening of the new schools next year.