Friday, 28 August 2026

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (12:57): (2574) My constituency question today is for the Minister for Children, and my constituents ask what the government is doing to ensure the continuation of kindergarten services for the children of Hopetoun and Beulah after the Hopetoun kindergarten was severely damaged by a burst water pipe. For more than two years the families of Hopetoun and Beulah have been without a long day care service. They were on the brink of getting this service back, combined with kindergarten services, when through no fault of their own the building was declared unsafe after extensive water damage, mould and structural deterioration were discovered. While kindergarten programs have been temporarily relocated to the Hopetoun senior citizens centre, this location is far from ideal. I have already raised the hardship that the Beulah community is facing from inadequate kindergarten facilities, and now this is causing them more stress and anxiety around the future of their kindergarten services. Minister, the children of Hopetoun and Beulah deserve adequate and continuous kindergarten services, and my constituents want to know how you will ensure they are delivered.