Constituency Question: Breakfast Clubs Program

Ms Spence (Yuroke): My question is for the Minister for Education. What information can the minister provide about the Andrews Labor government’s commitment to expand the successful school breakfast clubs program and how will this benefit students in Yuroke? Students at four schools in the Yuroke electorate are already benefiting from this program that was rolled out in the government’s first term. Prior to the last election, the Labor government committed to expand this program to both breakfast and lunch at 1000 government primary and secondary schools, ensuring more children will have the opportunity to access this great initiative. I am sure that Yuroke residents are very interested in the rollout of the expanded program and I would appreciate any information that the minister can provide.

Response:
I am informed as follows:

The Andrews Labor Government was proud to announce $58 million for the expansion of the School Breakfast Clubs program in the 2019-20 State Budget.

This program was established in 2016, in partnership with Foodbank Victoria and has been supporting 500 disadvantaged government primary schools across the State to access healthy and nutritious breakfasts. We know that a child’s ability to concentrate, self-regulate and learn is negatively impacted if they are hungry.

Building on the success of the 2016-19 School Breakfast Clubs Program, the Expansion Program will:

  • provide healthy breakfasts in 1,000 primary, secondary, P-12 and specialist schools
  • offer nutritious lunches and holiday food supplies to students who need it; and
  • deliver meal preparation and nutrition classes to families at 100 disadvantaged schools.

There are currently four schools from Yuroke participating in the program. Craigieburn South Primary School, Mount Ridley P-12, Roxburgh Rise Primary School and Willmott Park Primary School provide some of the 50,000 breakfasts that are served to Victorian students per week through the program, and who now have access to the additional support of lunches and school holiday supplies.

Each term next year, 125 new schools will join the program. By the end of 2020, 1000 schools will be participating in the expanded program. Eight schools from Yuroke will be invited to participate, including Craigieburn Secondary College which has over 1000 students.

Other Yuroke schools that will be invited to participate in the program include Greenvale Primary School, Westmeadows Primary School, Mickleham Primary School, Craigieburn Primary School, Aitken Creek Primary School, Newbury Primary School and Aitken Hill Primary School.

Through the School Breakfast Clubs Expansion Program, students in Yuroke and across Victoria will benefit from the Government’s commitment to ensuring children from disadvantaged families can fully participate in their learning at school, and build happy and healthy lives.

The Hon James Merlino MP
Deputy Premier
Minister for Education