Growing momentum for Kilmore Secondary College

The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has labelled the lack of a public secondary school in Kilmore as “shameful”, after hearing firsthand from families at a recent community meeting.

Ms Cleeland said Kilmore was now the largest regional town in Victoria without access to a public secondary school, despite a population of more than 13,000 people and significant growth expected in the years ahead.

“I called this community meeting because I wanted to hear directly from families, and what I heard was heartbreaking,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Children are struggling with anxiety as they face long daily commutes to surrounding towns, friendships are being torn apart as kids are split across different schools, and parents are being pushed into private education they simply cannot afford.”

Ms Cleeland said the absence of a public secondary school was having real and lasting impacts on the community.

“This is not just about education, this is about the fabric of a community,” she said.

“The Allan Labor Government asked families to move here, to invest here, to raise their children here, and yet will not provide a local public high school.”

Ms Cleeland said she had heard of families making the difficult decision to leave the region altogether because the option simply was not there.

“Our schools are the heartbeat of our communities, and right now Kilmore is being denied that,” she said.

“To call Victoria the Education State while blocking access to a basic public secondary school tells you everything you need to know about the Allan Labor Government’s priorities.”

Ms Cleeland said after more than a decade in government, the Allan Labor Government had failed to even secure a site for a school in Kilmore.

“For 12 years, this government has known Kilmore is growing, known the demand is there, and yet they haven’t even locked in land for a school,” she said.

“If this were a Melbourne suburb, this school would have been built years ago. But because Kilmore is regional, it continues to be overlooked.”

Ms Cleeland said the community’s advocacy was growing stronger and more united.

“There is real momentum behind this campaign, because families have simply had enough,” she said.

“Kilmore deserves a public secondary school, and I will continue to fight alongside this community until we see it delivered.”