I raise a matter for the Minister for Education in the other place, Ms Bronwyn Pike. It is a well known fact that the no. 1 priority for this government is education. One only need look at the 2007-08 budget to have this demonstrated. We promised to rebuild or modernise every school, invest in new technology for schools and refurbish, replace or build 200 science rooms, and today we are doing that. The current budget provided the framework for stage 1 of the Victorian schools plan. In that we have 43 school modernisations, the Better Schools Today program, 7 new schools, specialist schools, 4 replacement schools, a securing of the future of 6 small rural schools, a regeneration of 24 schools, 3 TAFE expansions, and an upgrade of science and technology wings.
I ask the minister to consider the inclusion of the following schools in my electorate of Western Victoria Region in the Better Schools Today program: Simpson and Skipton primary schools and Derrinallum P-12 College.