Two schools now? One school, not yet

School lobby group Two Schools Now has upped the ante in demanding action on schools in the Southbank, South Melbourne and Port Melbourne region, with a call to action last month.

A meeting, held at South Melbourne Commons on March 13, was used to garner extra support and to ensure the group continues to lobby the Government and let it know that this issue isn’t going away.

The meeting heard committee members run through updates of what the group had been up to and guest speakers included Port Phillip Council members and State Labor Member for Albert Park, Martin Foley.

Interestingly, the group received a press release from the Minister for Education, Martin Dixon, just a couple of hours before the scheduled meeting. The release held little new information, other than an assurance that he, along with other ministers, was putting a strong case forward for funding of a new school.

“As Minister for Education, along with my parliamentary colleagues Mr Matthew Guy, Ms Andrea Coote, and Ms Georgie Crozier, a strong case has been made to secure funding in the City of Port Phillip,” Minister Dixon’s release said.

“Two Schools Now is to be commended on its advocacy work in promoting the provision of government education services in the inner city area.”

Meeting MC, Carney Elias said the acknowledgement was great news for the organisation, but the work was far from over.

“It’s an indication that they are hearing us. This is great news and it is a step forward, but there is no funding in the budget yet that we are aware of,” Ms Elias said.

If you’re interested in joining Two Schools Now head to the website www.twoschoolsnow.com.au