Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): My adjournment is to the Treasurer of Victoria, and I ask that he fund critical projects within the Northcote electorate as part of the state budget. The inner north is a special part of the world, and we pride ourselves on the diverse, creative and progressive way of life we have nurtured, but our suburbs are growing and changing, and with this come new challenges. Population pressures mean our schools are some of the most dense while sitting on the smallest footprints. Northcote High is an incredible school but faces a crisis of facilities and needs investment now to meet the needs of growing student numbers. Ageing infrastructure at Westgarth Primary continues to cause immense disruption to student learning, and I have been working closely with them to put the case forward for upgraded learning spaces.
Severe cuts to our health services during the Kennett era means that affordable and accessible public health services are limited, with most residents needing to travel north or down to Parkville to access care. Indeed in 1996 we saw the closure of the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital by the Kennett government, and 1999 saw the Preston and Northcote Community Hospital close. We sure could have used both of these over the past 18 months. The gap in public health and mental health services is pronounced, made even more so by the pressures of the pandemic. I have long been advocating for expanded perinatal and family health services. Research into access to these services for parents and children across the electorate shows services are not able to meet current demand levels. A distinct lack of a public early parenting centre is a big gap for parents needing to access specialised perinatal care. Expanding local health and mental health services in the inner north remains a priority for me, and I urge the Treasurer to consider the needs of the inner north, particularly for families and children as well as our young people.
Equally important is supporting jobs growth in the inner north. I have spoken before about the opportunities we have to create pathways to employment in Victoria’s growth industries. Our suburbs are growing rapidly, and we must play to our strengths in the digital economy, food production, tech and innovation as well as health and education. The Melbourne Innovation Centre in Alphington is doing amazing things and launching many local startups. Our local urban farming models are expanding into exciting areas. There are also local businesses on the cutting edge of energy innovation, something our government is making enormous and groundbreaking investments in as we move towards net zero emissions.
We have exciting local projects underway with the removal of four level crossings in Preston, our school upgrades, the rollout of subsidised three-year-old kinder and our big social housing build. These are opportunities to create jobs and build inner-urban precincts that are truly responsive to the needs of our community. Though I know the Treasurer must balance the needs of the entire state, I want it on record that I will not stop fighting for Northcote—for our schools, our businesses, our environment, better health services, better transport networks and opportunities for our young people.
