Ros SPENCE (Kalkallo – Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (09:53): We have had a terrific start to the school year in the Kalkallo electorate with the opening of Yubup Primary School, which I attended along with the Premier and the Minister for Education, as well as the welcome to country ceremony at Banum Warrik Primary School, which will be officially opened next week.

With the completion of these schools, I am proud that since the election of the state Labor government in 2014 we have now delivered 11 new government schools in the growing communities I represent. Yubup Primary School – yubup meaning parakeet – is a very welcome addition to the rapidly growing Mickleham. Thank you to students Pravan, Joban, Trishanpreet and Zuhra, along with principal Maree Moyle, who gave us a tour of this terrific school and to some of its state-of-the-art facilities. The preps enjoyed a story from the Premier, and they loved the free prep bags we were able to hand out. These bags are loaded with books, educational items and information to help preps and their families start off the school year.

It was fantastic to also attend the first day welcome to country ceremony at the new Banum Warrik Primary School, with Banum Warrik meaning ‘grassy plains’. The ceremony, led by Coree and the Koorie Youth Will Shake Spears group, included a smoking ceremony and a couple of traditional dances, which all the students were really keen to take part in. It was fantastic to see the brand new facilities at Kalkallo’s newest school. Thank you also to principal Anthony Potesta for inviting me to this ceremony. I cannot wait to attend the official opening next week.

Both of these schools are incredibly important to this growing community. We have got families moving in every day, and now their trip to school is even shorter.