Securing our Schools
Michael Danby, Member for Melbourne Ports, today congratulated six local Jewish schools for being awarded over $2.1 million under the Gillard Government’s Secure Schools Program.
The schools are:
- Leibler Yavneh College Elsternwick who will receive $179,750 for CCTV cameras, fencing, and improved lighting;
- Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah College, St Kilda East who will receive $338,979 for improved fencing, lights, gates, intercoms and CCTV;
- Adass Israel School in Elsterwick who will receive $248,144 for better access control, fencing, CCTV and perimeter access;
- Mount Scopus Memorial College who will receive $738,000 for fencing and screening, CCTV, lighting and intruder alarms;
- Sholem Aleichem College in Elsternwick who will receive $211,572 for security and intercom systems, CCTV, fencing, a guard booth and entrance canopy; and
- Bialik College in East Hawthorne who received $438,000 for improved fencing and lighting, access control, surveillance and warning systems.
The funding was announced today by Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice Jason Clare.
“Parents have the right to expect their children will be safe at school,” Mr Clare said.
“That’s why the Federal Government is providing this funding.”
“The Secure Schools program provides schools with capital funding for safety infrastructure – such as fencing, closed-circuit television, bollards and improved lighting.
“It is a targeted program aimed at schools at risk of racial, religious or ethnically motivated violence, property crime or harassment.”
32 schools across Australia received funding.
Michael Danby said these safety upgrades would make a big difference for these school communities.
“The Australian Government is determined via tough anti-terrorist laws and this program to ensure that events like the massacre outside the Chabad kindergarten in Toulouse do not occur in Australia.”
Mr Danby serves on the Intelligence Committee, which has just re-proscribed 4 terrorist organizations , Ansar al-Islam (AAI), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) as terrorist organizations. Australia already proscribes Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations
“I have worked hard with the Jewish community to make sure these schools get the protections they need.” Mr Danby said.
“The upgrades will give peace of mind to students and teachers as they get on with their day-to-day learning.
“I congratulate these schools and look forward to the completion of the upgrades.”
Schools were nominated by States and Territories and independent schools associations. They were then invited by the Australian Government to apply for funding, with the most urgent security needs selected.
The funding delivers on Labor’s commitment at the 2010 Federal election to allocate $15 million for security upgrades for at-risk schools. $10 million has been announced today for schools, with the remaining $5 million to be allocated to preschools.
This is the third round of funding under the Secure Schools program. The first two rounds provided $19.8 million for safety upgrades to 54 schools across Australia.
