Petition for schooling

The Two Schools Now action group has handed in a petition from locals who want schools in our area.

The group was formed by parents from South Melbourne, but has been backed by the Southbank Residents Group and boasts many Southbank members.

The petition was handed to parliamentary representatives on August 15, the day Southbank Local News went to print. When Southbank Local News spoke to group member Carney Elias earlier in the week, there were over 950 signatures on the petition. The group was hoping to reach 1000 before the petition was handed over.

Ms Elias said the group was very keen to create action, no matter which political party was in power.

“We’re trying to stay away from the politics. We are not interested in the past. This is a problem we face now and what we can change into the future,” Ms Elias said.

Ms Elias said the group had received a wide range of support from the community and even from people who didn’t have kids.

“I think people understand the importance of having families in the community. If there aren’t any schools and the families have to move, it takes away from the feel of the community,” Ms Elias said.

Carney’s husband Jeremy was also passionate about the schooling issue and said the issue was uniform across Melbourne’s inner-south.

“These suburbs are starting to spring up and they’re so hard to stay in from a cost point of view. Then they have no schools and you’re expected to go to a private school,” Mr Elias said.

The issue is an immediate one for this young family, with son Brannagh and daughter Macy soon ready to attend primary school.

Carney Elias believes the reasons the area needs a school or two is quite simple: “The idea of being able to walk to school with my kids would really appeal to me.”