Mr PALLAS (Treasurer) (09:45:42) — I am delighted to inform the house that recently I joined the outstanding Minister for Education to turn the sod to commence construction of Wyndham Tech School on Victoria University’s Werribee campus. Wyndham Tech School will mean so much for students, teachers and families in Werribee and Wyndham. Students and principals, many of whom were on school holidays, came out on a winter’s morning to witness the start of this exciting new development. This will be one of 10 tech schools built under the Andrews government’s $128 million tech school initiative. It will give thousands of young people from 18 local government and private secondary schools access to a high‑tech learning environment and will also have linkages to local industries.

For this government the Education State is more than just a slogan; it is about providing far‑reaching opportunities for a new generation of Victorians. Wyndham Tech School is testament to that, and I am proud that the Andrews Labor government is bringing such opportunity to the local students of Wyndham. And of course paired with today’s announcement that the state will be forgoing for‑profit payroll tax to ensure that apprentices and trainees get the right start and the right education and provide the community with the skills that we need, this is a demonstration of our commitment to young people.