TOOTGAROOK Primary School provides a comprehensive and innovative education program for local families, has a strong and supportive community, and has access to a brand new kindergarten beside the school.
Sarah Race, Labor candidate for Flinders toured the facility with Principal Leigh McQuillen and Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh to hear about the school.
Tootgarook PS has a vision to enhance learning for the children through empowerment, small class sizes, a buddy program, community involvement, and a strong focus on achieving personal excellence.
Tootgarook and schools across the Peninsula are celebrating the announcement that they will receive more funding through the Albanese Labor Government’s Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.
The increased funding will see an estimated $2.5 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to Victorian public schools over the next ten years.
This is the biggest new investment in Victorian public schools by the Australian Government – ever.
Education is a key part of Labor’s plan to build Australia’s future with the below initiatives already delivered in addition to the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement:
– Creating a three day child care guarantee
– A 15 per cent pay rise to early educators
– Child Care reforms Saving families around $4,400 a year
– Wiping $3 billion from HECS debts
– Fee-Free TAFE to train up more locals so our businesses have the workers they need
If re-elected, Labor will continue supporting families and raising aspirations through education by:
– providing a $10,000 incentive payment to apprentices in the residential housing sector to build more homes more quickly
– establishing a $1 billion Building Early Education Fund to build more early childhood education and care centres
– Cutting a further 20% from HECS debts
“Only Labor will build Australia’s future through education reform from early childhood, right through our public school system, to TAFE and university so that everyone in Flinders, from Tootgarook to Somerville, is supported to achieve their best,” said Race.
First published in the Mornington News – 18 March 2025
