Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to thank Clayton South Primary School to having me to visit recently. In my first year as the member for Hotham I promised I would visit all the schools in my electorate. Clayton South was one of the last visits and it was definitely one of the most fun. Eleven student leaders took me on a whirlwind tour of their school, of which they are most proud. They showed me around the playground, the classrooms and their senior school room, where we sat down for a good chat about a few important issues.

They gave me some insight into bullying and cyber safety. Thankfully, neither is a major problem at the school due to lots of dialogue and good policies. We talked about the nerves and excitement they feel about going into year 7 next year. They also explained their deep disappointment and frustration about the state of their school buildings. When Labor was in government in Victoria, Clayton South was funded for a rebuild of its entire school. It was about to call for tenders when the coalition were elected. Since then, nothing has progressed in four years. I will be fighting, with state MPs, to have this school urgently funded for capital works which are very much needed for this school. In the meantime, I thank Andrew Leap, Margaret Derzotis, Katie Webb, Natasha Theodoris, Matthew Tyson, Antony Jones-Wilson, Asli Demirbas, Mikara Roi, Isabella Seitanidis, James Nimorakiotakis and Emily Liong. These are great school leaders at Clayton South Primary School and great kids. Thanks for having me.

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