Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) (09:58:57) — Last week I had the great pleasure of welcoming the Premier to Sunbury. After a fantastic lunch at one of Sunbury’s best local eateries, the Spotted Owl, we visited Sunbury Primary School, Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School and the Boilerhouse, located on Jacksons Hill. Others will be aware that upon coming to government I asked the Minister for Planning to master plan this site, which is currently owned by Victoria University but is disused and abandoned. I am thrilled to say that as part of last week’s budget we announced that the Andrews Labor government will buy the site.

As part of the plan we are also investing $10.8 million to expand Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School into existing heritage buildings. This comes on top of the more than $4 million in funding announced for the Bullengarook campus by the hardworking member for Macedon. It brings the total investment to $19 million over two campuses in our term in office. Further to this we are investing $3.5 million to upgrade Sunbury Primary School, a fantastic local school also on the Jacksons Hill site, and providing $3 million to build Sunbury’s first community arts and creative industries precinct on the site, in partnership with Hume City Council.

The Premier and I received an incredibly warm welcome from Sunbury Primary School and Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School as well as from parents and friends of the schools, who have spoken to me, written to me and called me to express their thanks and support. For years the arts community has done a great job in Sunbury. I am thrilled with this investment, and I look forward to seeing it delivered.