Welcome back folks to this month’s Connolly’s Corner. 

It’s that time of the year again when parents across Victoria are getting back into the routine after the summer holidays now that their kids are going back at school. I know because my husband and I are doing it too. My daughter Emily has just started Year 8, while my youngest Leo is starting Grade 5 and at a new school. Like all parents, we know that education is so important in giving our kids the opportunities to learn and grow so that they can achieve their best and thrive later in life. 

That’s why I’m such a staunch supporter of Government investing in our local schools, whether it’s building new schools or upgrading and renovating existing schools so that our kids can receive that world-class education in modern facilities. This may not be the first time you’ve heard me say this, and I can promise you that it won’t be the last. 

This month I’ve had the privilege of opening another two new schools – Warreen Primary School and Bemin Secondary College in Truganina. It represents the first year that kids in Truganina have access to a local senior school. In fact, this school is one of seven brand new schools that are opening this year in Wyndham alone. Two new schools have opened in Tarneit – Brinbeal Secondary College and Wimba Primary School in Tarneit – and another three in Werribee – Laa Yulta Primary School, Walcom Ngarrwa and Nganboo Borron School. In fact, there are nearly 20 new school in Wyndham alone that have been built and opened by the Andrews and Allan Labor Governments in the last six years.  

For me personally, the opening of our new schools in Truganina represents a personal triumph for our local community. Both Warreen Primary School and the Junior Campus for Bemin Secondary College are located on a site in Elements Estate that was formerly set aside for a Catholic or Independent school and was just a few years ago at risk of being turned into more housing in an area that otherwise has little else. Thanks to our Government stepping in, this site is home to a brand-new Education Precinct in our little patch of the west, with a kinder opening alongside Warreen Primary School, and a brand-new community centre set to go on the site as well.  

Students going to Bemin Secondary College can also look forward to six brand new school bus services that will service the school by travelling throughout the school’s enrolment zone, meaning that even if you live all the way at the boundaries of the school’s zone, such as in Williams Landing, your kids will be able to get to and from school on a dedicated bus service. And if your kids also go to a school that’s close to an existing bus stop, such as Truganina P-9 College or Dohertys Creek P-9 College, you can catch these buses as well. 

There’s a lot more to do, including tens of millions in school upgrades and modernisation projects taking place right across Victoria, but our community out west can be proud of the work our Government has done and is continuing to do so that our kids can receive the best education possible.