My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education in the other place, and it is in relation to the Warrnambool Special Developmental School in the south-west of my electorate. Prior to the 2014 state election Labor acknowledged that the Warrnambool Special Developmental School was long overdue for a new home. Originally built in 1989 with 13 students enrolled, the school, which sits on the side of a hill, now caters for around 120 students — far too many for that site.
Prior to the election I along with the minister visited the school and met with students, staff and parents. We toured the facilities, and it was clear that something needed to be done sooner rather than later. An article in the Warrnambool Standard stated at the time:
School leaders have been unable to win support from the —
Napthine Liberal —
government to relocate from Hyland Street despite urgent pleas about overcrowding.
Labor promised $5 million prior to the election for the purchase of a new site at which to relocate the school, and in our first budget that $5 million was allocated, fulfilling the promise we had made to staff, students and parents. The department has been working hard with the school and the local community over the past year to identify a site that will give students and teachers space and a high-quality facility in which to learn and grow.
The action I seek from the minister is that he join me in visiting the new site of the Warrnambool Special Developmental School once it has been formally selected to discuss further plans for the relocation of this fantastic school community.