Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about leadership. Much like a ship without a captain, a school without a principal can be left to flounder. Last week in my electorate I had the good fortune of visiting the Elizabeth Vale School and I got to meet a truly exceptional person in the principal, Julie Murphy. This principal is a shining light in my electorate. She is extremely proud and tough, and she has a really hard task. Her school, more than 80 per cent of which is made up of non-English-speaking students, is delivering a quality education and affording these children a great opportunity for a better future.

I talked about being proud. When you walk through the gates of this school, there are two massive kangaroos with Indigenous paintings on them. They're the protecters of this school. They help Julie to look over her children and make sure that they have a safe place to learn. On top of that, there's a fantastic mural which has a person with their arms spread like an eagle, just keeping a watch over the flock. This is an exceptional school delivering exceptional outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged people in my electorate. I couldn't think of a better person to be at the head of that school, looking after these children.