For Immediate Release May 2009

The old Coburg High School logo

Budget doesn’t add up for Coburg residents

Coburg residents are the biggest losers in the Brumby State Budget. Despite spending
$402 million on schools, Ministers Brumby and Pike have neglected Coburg yet again.

“It’s outrageous,” said Cate Hall, co-founder of HSC (High School for Coburg) group.
“With state Government control over the building of 7,000 homes and another 3000
planned by Moreland City Council, where is the provision for education in the area?

More than $1 billion will be spent on schools in Victoria but nothing is earmarked for
one of the biggest development areas,” said Hall.

Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike states “Education is the Brumby Labor
Government’s number-one priority” but if you live in the Coburg area you would be
hard pressed to find evidence of this statement. Sixteen secondary schools have
been closed down or merged in the past eighteen years.

“The Governments policy on education is flawed and our children and community
are suffering as a result”, said Hall. “The transition period from primary to secondary
school is crucial to a student’s personal development and academic achievement.
Without a local school, this period is best descried as less than ideal for local kids.”

The Coburg area is a ‘black hole’ when it comes to secondary education. From West
Preston to Pascoe Vale and Fawkner to Brunswick, there is no open entry state high
school within 3.5 kilometres of the Bell Street / Sydney Road intersection in any
direction (see map below).

Coburg has the greatest number of young children in Moreland, and the greatest
expected increase in those numbers, with twenty two primary schools in the same
area but not one open entry high school.

The primary school community, and thus the broader community, is being dismantled
as children travel to many different high schools, once they finish their primary
education.

Already HSC has over 1000 names on a petition and the aim is simple – get a high
quality, open entry state secondary school up and running for the children.

For more information and to sign the petition please visit www.highschoolcoburg.org.

- ends -
Map showing the state and Catholic primary
schools in and around Coburg
Map showing no open entry
secondary schools in the same area.
The two schools shown are Coburg
Senior High School (years 10 to 12)
and Preston Girls High School

Secondary schools closed down / merged in the Coburg area over the past 18 years:

• Moreland City College - closed 31 December 2004 - now Coburg Senior High
School – years 10 to 12 only
• Coburg High School – closed 31 December 1993 - buildings demolished and site
awaiting permit approval for development
• Newlands High School - closed 19 December 1992 - buildings demolished, site now
part of Pentridge Prison development
• Coburg Technical School - now Coburg Special Development School
• Hadfield Secondary College – closed on 31 December 1992 - buildings
demolished, site now a retirement village
• Moreland High School – closed on 31 December 1991 - now Kangan Batman TAFE
• Oak Park Secondary School – closed 31 December 1992
• Moomba Park Secondary College, Glenroy High School, Glenroy Technical School,
Hadfield Secondary College and Oak Park Secondary College merged on 1
January 1993 to form Box Forest Secondary College
• Brunswick High School, Brunswick Technical School and Brunswick East High School
merged on 1 January 1993 to form Brunswick Secondary College

To interview Denis Matson JP, Cate Hall or Morena Milani, founding members of HSC,
for additional population statistics, photo opportunities or more information, please
contact:

Darren Saffin
0411 089 209
darren@djscommunications.com.au