Point Cook MP Mathew Hilakari confirmed on Friday that every school in his electorate would transition within a decade under the restructure, which he said responded to community concerns about why students at some primary schools had to change schools twice during their secondary years.
“The community raised this issue in the time I’ve been in parliament. And their main question is: why P-9s and why here?” Hilakari said.
The change will begin with Homestead Senior Secondary College, which is set to move from a year 10-12 model to a year 7-12 school by 2028. Saltwater P-9 College, which shares a campus with Homestead, will become a dedicated primary school within three to five years.
Alamanda K-9 College, which has 3335 students on a single campus, could be split into separate primary and secondary campuses under the plan, according to its principal Lynette Jobson. “Everyone has received the news, and we understand what it is about,” she said. “It’s five years away for us, so we have time to digest it.”
Point Cook Senior Secondary College, with more than 770 students in years 10-12, is expected to become a year 7-12 school within three to five years.
The announcement drew a mixed response from educators and staff. Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Belinda Hudak said the decision followed a lull in consultation. “There had been some initial conversations, and then it went quiet for a while, and then suddenly it came to an outcome,” she said. “Our preferred process is always that school communities and principals are part of final decisions.”
A staff member at one of the affected schools, speaking anonymously to protect their employment, said staff had been blindsided and feared “massive job losses”. “There has been no information, no budget. No nothing. Just a ‘this is what we are doing’.”
Opposition education spokesman Brad Rowswell said the uncertainty was unfair to families ahead of the state election. “Victorian parents and students in Melbourne’s west have every right to be confused and disappointed,” he said.
A government spokesperson said no schools would close and that consultation was ongoing. “No decision has been made in relation to any school,” the spokesperson said.
The restructure comes as Melbourne’s western growth corridors, including Wyndham, Melton and Hume, face a surge in school enrolments driven by rapid population growth. Hilakari acknowledged some locals would be hesitant but said the transition was open to discussion with each school community.
“Every transition is going to have some challenges, and we are up for working through that with the community,” he said.