Constituency Question - Elwood College Hockey

ELWOOD COLLEGE HOCKEY.

Thursday 17 October, 2019.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (11:40):

My constituency question is to the Minister for Education and I ask: what date this year did the government first inform my community that it entered into a joint-use agreement last year to allow the construction of a new floodlit hockey pitch on the grounds of Elwood College?

The private partnership between the Melbourne Cricket Club, Elwood College, and the Department of Education and Training is similar to the hockey developments at Melbourne High School and Beaumaris Secondary College.

The private partnerships do offer new facilities and opportunities. Elwood College is an exceptional school and deserves support. However, schools are community hubs and the government has an obligation to advise neighbours of any changes that will affect the broader community.

Elwood is densely populated and neighbours have genuine questions about traffic flow, parking and the floodlights.

Wholehearted community support can be achieved where these partnerships are transparent and where local communities are also partners in the projects.

I look forward to the Minister’s response.