Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) (12:42:52): (1621) My constituency question is to the Minister for Education. What information can the minister provide on the expansion of the school breakfast clubs at schools in the Yuroke electorate starting from term 1 next year? The school breakfast clubs program has already seen four local schools join this program in the Andrews Labor government’s first term. This initiative has been hugely welcomed by my community, and I am certainly eager to see more students benefit from this great program. The minister previously provided me with information about schools that had been invited to participate in the program, and I am keen to share with my community which schools have taken up this invitation. I thank the minister for his work in this space and I look forward to his response.

Response:

The Andrews Labor Government was proud to announce $58 million for the expansion of the School Breakfast Clubs program in the 2019-20 Victorian State Budget, and I am pleased to hear it has been so well received by the Yuroke community.

Through the expanded School Breakfast Clubs 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.

Five Yuroke schools already participate in the program, and have been enjoying the additions of lunch and school holiday supplies since Term 3 this year. These schools are Craigieburn South Primary School, Willmott Park Primary School, Roxburgh Rise Primary School, Collingwood English Language School and Mount Ridley P-12 College.

I am pleased to advise that Craigieburn Secondary School and Craigieburn Primary School have also accepted their invitation to participate in the program from Term 1 next year. The Department of Education and Training has also invited and is waiting on confirmation of three additional schools in the Yuroke community. Should they confirm, these schools will join the program in Term 2 2020.

In February 2020, a further two schools, Greenvale Primary School and Westmeadows Primary School will be invited to participate in the program.  This means that all 13 schools in the Yuroke electorate will have the opportunity to participate in the expanded School Breakfast Clubs Program by the end of 2020.

The Hon James Merlino
Deputy Premier
Minister for Education