Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of turning the first sod on the new works at Bell Primary School that are being undertaken to transform their library and create a new senior learning space. These works are the culmination of a lot of advocacy from the school community, the principal and the teachers. Bell Primary is a proud school, and a school that is at the heart of its community. Geographically it is a school that exists in a pocket of Preston that can sometimes be overlooked. In a short period, I have had the good fortune of being at the school on many occasions and have also knocked on the door of many surrounding homes. This is a valued and much-loved school. I was very impressed by the school leaders who joined me and principal David Twite to tour the building site. These student leaders, our 'construction experts’, as I like to call them, are Jo M., Joe H., Alice W., Zoe, Lachlan, Dom, Kes, Harriet, Isabelle, Amelie, Leo, Zac and Celeste. They are incredible ambassadors for their school, and they have been charged with the responsibility of keeping all of the year levels informed and involved in the progress of the build. Leadership at its best! The Bell Primary community have worked hard to create a master plan and they are in construction of phase 1, brought about by a $2 million investment from the Andrews government. The project is being delivered, and I am delighted to say that so are all of the election commitments for my community, which the Treasurer acquitted in his budget last week. I look forward to making a new list of priority projects, including the next stage for Bell Primary. I look forward to it, because this government delivers.
