“Magnificent!” Mr James Merlino said when asked how he felt as an Italian Australian over the Italian football victory in the Euro 2021.
Asked about whether exuberant fans in Melbourne’s Little Italy were flouting COVID-19 outdoor gathering rules, Mr Merlino said there were no community transmissions, and it is difficult to control people when they are passionately celebrating.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Mr Merlino launched the Port Melbourne Secondary College, one of the 48 new schools built by the Victorian Government since 2015.
“The first vertical school in the state the former Fisherman’s Bend Secondary School will now be called the Port Melbourne Secondary College,” he said.
Mr Merlino said that the Victorian Government had “made a commitment in 2015 to build and open 100 new schools by 2026.”
“We have built 48 new schools and are well on the way,” he said.
“This is the biggest schools building program in the history of the state.”
He added that $10.9 billion has been invested in new schools and upgrading existing campuses, creating over 13,000 jobs.
“Quality design and new facilities along with great teaching provides confidence to the community.
“Schools are integral to shaping the community they provide a sense of community,” Mr Merlino said.
The government has engaging with local families on the names of the new schools.
- Clyde Creek Primary School (formerly Clyde North Station Primary School)
- Clyde Secondary College (formerly Clyde North Station Secondary College)
- Deanside Primary School (formerly Grasslands (Deanside) Primary School)
- Endeavour Hills Specialist School
- Gilgai Plains Primary School (formerly Kalkallo Common Primary School)
- Greenvale Secondary College (formerly Greenvale Secondary School)
- Port Melbourne Secondary College (formerly Fishermans Bend Secondary School)
- Strathtulloh Primary School (formerly Bridge Road (Melton) Primary School)
- Wollert Primary School (formerly Wollert East Primary School)
Neos Kosmos asked if the 9.5 per cent increase of enrolment in independent and private schools between 2015 and 2020, especially in largely immigrant suburbs, reflected a lack of confidence in the public education system.
“The trend is reversing,” Mr Merlino said, “We have seen a market increase in public school enrolments due to the major investment by this government in public education.”
Neos Kosmos also asked about those Greek language schools that have been shut out of using public schools as after-hour teaching venues since the pandemic.
A spokesman gave the following response to Neos Kosmos’ question pertaining to Greek language schools later on in the day.
“Current COVID-19 settings allow community language schools to operate on government school premises,” an education department spokesperson told Neos Kosmos.
“The use of indoor facilities for community language school programs is a school-based decision.”
Clearly James Merlino is still seething about the "disgraceful" approach of the Federal Government in avoiding support when Victorians needed it.#auspol #covid19vic #springst pic.twitter.com/RNjsKHTek2
— Squizz (@SquizzSTK) July 12, 2021
The Victorian Health Minister, Martin Foley updated the media that a person from Sydney infected with COVID-19 travelled to Victoria and South Australia while infectious last week.
The infectious man was a member of a three-person moving crew and was in Victoria on 8 July and was tested for COVID19 on July 11 back in NSW.
They arrived in Melbourne on 8 July, delivered one set of furniture to a house at Whittlesea, collected goods at a home in Maribyrnong and then left to go to Adelaide, arriving there on July 9.
The family from the Whittlesea house has relocated interstate and are all isolating.
Mr Foley was asked if he felt vindicated seeing NSW forced to a state-wide lockdown, after the Victorian government was criticised for its tough lockdown last month.
“I do not feel vindication, we are there to assist the government and the people of NSW.
“It just shows is that this virus, especially the Delta variant is very infectious and needs to be run down to the ground.”
Mr Foley did not go as far as directly criticising the Commonwealth’s communications program given the criticism the new Commonwealth vaccination ad has roundly received, especially for presenting an under 40-year old actor suffering from COVID while there are insufficient vaccines for under 40s.
“There is an incongruity where people of under forty are targeted while we do not have sufficient supply of the recommended vaccine by ATAGI (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) for people under 40,” he said.
When asked about plans developed by the Australian Open, Mr Merlino said that he had not seen the plans and that he’d leave it to the team and the office to develop these.
He went on to emphasise that “everything opening up, our economy, our borders both domestic and international…all of it relies on the successful rollout of the Commonwealth vaccine programme.”
“That’s what we’ve been banging on about, supply, and just get on and do it” Mr Merlino said in his criticism of the Commonwealth’s vaccine roll out,” he said.
The Deputy Premier said that the community needs a high vaccination level where “everyone who wants that vaccine has had the opportunity to get it”.
“That’s how we open our economy, that’s how we proceed with events, the critical thing getting in the supply of vaccines,” Mr Merlino said.
