The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, said the Victorian Liberal Nationals today announced a positive plan to get students back in classrooms across the state.
Mr Walsh said under the Andrews Labor Government’s six yo-yo lockdowns, some Victorian students have lost more than 150 days of face-to-face learning.
He said this has had a devastating impact on the educational and social development of young people, their families and school communities.
“That’s why the Victorian Liberal Nationals have developed a sensible plan to safely get kids back in the classroom and to give hope to students for a return in time for the commencement of Term 4,” Mr Walsh said.
This plan includes:
- Priority vaccination of all willing teachers.
- Only close schools on a case-by-case basis.
- Redirect wasteful spending on blown out mega-projects to improve ventilation and make classrooms COVID-Safe.
- Employ rapid antigen testing as a key screening tool.
- Treat schools as bubbles and stop restricting activities where there has been no proof of transmission.
- Promote mask wearing, social distancing and appropriate hygiene.
- Listen to the experts to continue to strengthen COVID-Safe schools.
“Every day young Victorians are locked away from the classroom is another day they fall behind,” Mr Walsh said.
“Daniel Andrews has no plan to get our kids safely back to school and must adopt the Liberal Nationals’ plan to get our kids futures back on track,” he said.
“Using rapid testing and social bubbles, we can manage schools individually and stop COVID at the front gate.
“Only the Victorian Liberal Nationals will get our classrooms COVID-Safe and our kids’ lives back on track.”
Mr Walsh said Labor’s one-size-fits-all approach to school closures is robbing kids of their futures.
“With priority vaccinations, rapid testing, better ventilation and school bubbles we can start to get students’ education back on track,” he added.
“Daniel Andrews has no plan to rebuild our kids’ education or mental health, just a plan for more lockdowns and tighter restrictions.”
