— Education

Brimbank recognises the importance of using these projects to generate

new economic and social opportunities for the people of Brimbank and the

greater western region.

The Trans

Brimbank Agenda sets out a vision for Federal Government,

State Government, and non-government sector, on how we can collaborate and

leverage these record investments to maximise the job, education, health,

environmental and fairness opportunities for the region for decades to come.

04

1 Support Brimbank to establish

a Business, Jobs and Skills

working group to leverage economic

and social opportunities of the

Sunshine Super Hub and Sunshine

Priority Precinct.

2 Support Brimbank to improve

lifelong learning opportunities

including primary and secondary

education, as well as pathways

to higher education.

3 Support the redevelopment of

St Albans and Deer Park libraries.

4 Work with local councils to

provide funding certainty for early

childhood programs as well as

three and four-year-old kindergarten.

5 Support flexible approaches

to kindergarten and early

childhood services.

6 Develop an Integrated

Transport Strategy for Melbourne’s

west that links the Sunshine

Super Hub with the region’s Job

and Education Precincts.

>

01 Sunshine National

Economic and

Innovation Cluster

(NEIC)

02 Sunshine Super Hub

(Melbourne Airport

Rail, Western Rail Plan,

Suburban Rail Loop)

03 Western Ring Road

04 Calder Freeway

05 Sunshine Health,

Wellbeing and

Education Precinct

(SHWEP); Sunshine

Hospital and the

$200m Joan Kirner

Women’s and

Children’s Hospital

06 Future St Albans

Health and Wellbeing

Hub

07 Victoria University

$35m Sunshine Skills

Hub

08 Victorian University

St Albans Campus and

Cyber Security Training

Centre

09 Former Sunshine

College Site

Neighbourhood Houses Libraries Kindergartens Maternal and Child Health Services

07

Freeway Metro Train Line V/Line Train Line

Proposed Melbourne Airport Rail

08

1

Leverage strategic partnerships and identify opportunities

to boost employment.

Better connect learning pathways and opportunities for job

seekers including young people, those looking for a new job, those returning

to work, transitioning workers and older workers.

Connect education providers with the region’s health services

in terms of job opportunities, and also wellbeing support.

Engage with the region’s social service providers,

so the most vulnerable have the support they need to get on the pathway

to education and work.

12

2

Brimbank recognises that education is

continuous throughout a person’s life.

Lifelong learning supports communities

to become more resilient and respond

to ever-changing cultural, social and

economic circumstances by developing

skills, knowledge and capability.

The development of the Sunshine

Super Hub and Sunshine Priority

Precinct will provide people across

Brimbank, beginning with young

people, unprecedented job and

education opportunities.

Starting in

, access

and support for our multicultural

community to engage in flexible and

innovative ways of learning will give

our children the best start in life.

4 Minister for Cities and Population Media Release 31 October 2018.

In our

schools, Council

supports ongoing investment to

continue upgrading local school

buildings and resourcing. Council also

welcomes opportunities to collaborate

with the government to help inspire

the imaginations of our young people

around the career opportunities

associated with the Sunshine Super

Hub and Sunshine Priority Precinct.

The new Western Sydney Airport

Visitor Centre, with interactive learning

and education opportunities, is an

outstanding example of how young

people can be engaged around major

infrastructure projects

4

.

In order to enable our high school

students to grasp the Sunshine Super

Hub and Precinct opportunities, we

must ensure investment is made across

our local secondary education network

to improve access, programs, facilities

and pathways.

Whilst Brimbank acknowledges the

State Government’s record investment

into schools through its Education State

approach, we also acknowledge the

need to do more in our community.

13

An emerging challenge is Brimbank’s

growing

, particularly in Derrimut,

which is expected to double in the next

five years. In suburbs surrounding

Derrimut, there is an expected 30 per

cent increase in secondary students in

less than 10 years. This will generate

increased pressure for available places

in government secondary schools.

If left unaddressed, Derrimut’s limited

transport connectivity to government

schools will compound not only

education access issues, but also

road and congestion issues

5

.

Brimbank City Council wants to work

with the State Government to ensure

everyone across Brimbank has fair and

safe access to government schools.

Better linking and connecting

secondary schools with our broader

education network, so we can develop

job pathways, including with Victoria

University, Brimbank Learning Futures,

iHarvest, BrIMPACT Program, St Albans

Health and Wellbeing Hub, as well as

regional employers such as Melbourne

Airport — can also help improve local

education, skill and job pathways.

5 Brimbank Secondary School Needs Analysis, Derrimut 2019.

6 Brimbank Lifelong Learning Strategy 2018–2023.

7 5Brimbank Industry Employment, id Consulting 2016 https://profile.id.com.au/brimbank/industries

Improved support for

, are also critical in

helping us achieve genuine lifelong

learning outcomes.

With Brimbank adults almost twice

as likely not to have attended formal

schooling, compared to the Victorian

average; and almost 60 per cent of

the Brimbank community speaking a

language other than English at home

6

,

we can do more by collaborating with

government and partners to reimagine

the role of Council’s neighbourhood

houses, libraries and our new St Albans

Health and Wellbeing Hub.

Providing opportunities for learning

and workforce transition is also

important. Whilst manufacturing

remains Brimbank’s largest industry

sector of employment, with 10.9 per

cent of local jobs, it also experienced

the biggest decline in jobs between

2011 and 2016, with more than

3,500 jobs lost

7

. Identifying proactive

transitional learning opportunities

around the Sunshine Super Hub and

Sunshine Priority Precinct, can ensure

our workforce adapts as demand for

traditional industries evolves.

By engaging with Brimbank to

support our early childhood, primary,

secondary, higher education and

lifelong learning networks and

communities, Council, government and

non-government agencies can make a

genuine difference to help more local

people get an education, get a job and

live a happier life.

14

3

Council is committed to supporting

lifelong learning outcomes for all of our

community. This includes our youngest

community members through to our

most senior. With a high population

of culturally and linguistically diverse

(CALD) families in Brimbank, Council is

also committed to ensuring that newly

arrived community members have

access to high quality programs that

enable social cohesion and facilitate

lifelong learning.

8 Brimbank Community Services and Infrastructure Plan 2018–2038.

There is no place more capable of

facilitating lifelong learning outcomes

for our entire community than public

libraries. Libraries are where lifelong

learning starts. However, two of our key

libraries in St Albans and Deer Park are

in need of redevelopment or relocation.

With the current population projections,

recent studies have shown that both

the St Albans and Deer Park libraries

will soon be unable to meet expected

demand for services

8

.

15

Council is calling on the State

Government to provide funding to

redevelop both libraries. With more

than 1.3 million visits each year,

Brimbank’s libraries are delivering

public value by creating community

cohesion, engagement with education

and learning opportunities through

various programs including:

• Learn English Through Storytime —

targeted to CALD families.

• Bilingual Storytime — providing

learning sessions in a fun

environment including songs, stories

and rhymes in Mandarin/English or

Vietnamese/English.

• Employment assistance — programs

that help people create career

pathways through resume writing,

job searching, digital literacy and

computer software courses.

• Cyber skills programs — highly valued

by seniors, teaching digital literacy

and cyber awareness.

Libraries also facilitate

community cohesion, including

in vulnerable cohorts:

• Outreach playgroups — to enable

engagement between CALD

families and new residents.

• Playgroup for pre-schoolers — to

support all families unable to attend

subsidised kindergarten due to

insufficient l

ocally

a

vailable

p

laces.

• Seniors groups — a place for seniors

to learn and stay mentally active.

• Interest groups — reducing social

isolation by bringing likeminded

community members together over

shared interests.

Brimbank’s public

libraries provide employment

assistance programs in

resume writing, job searching,

digital literacy and computer

software courses.

Brimbank’s public

libraries provide language and

learning programs for diverse

members of our community.

Brimbank’s public

libraries provide opportunities

to connect with community

members via clubs and

interest groups, leading to

stronger social cohesion, less

isolation and improved mental

health outcomes.

The

programs and services offered

by Brimbank’s public libraries

provide support and address

disadvantage among the many

parts of Brimbank’s community.

17

4

Council is committed to supporting

participation in kindergarten and

early childhood services. While most

Brimbank children aged 0–4 attend a

Council owned dedicated kindergarten,

many attend an integrated childcare

centre for their kindergarten. Many

kindergartens in Brimbank are

operating at or near their capacity, and

Council expects demand to continue

to grow

9

. There are also many families

that cannot afford kindergarten

services, and others that may not be

participating due to funding uncertainty.

Brimbank City Council is seeking to

support lifelong learning where it starts

— in the early years. Council wants to

ensure that kindergarten places are

accessible for all children in Brimbank,

especially in the context of our growing

and diverse population .

9 Brimbank Community Services and Infrastructure Plan 2018–2038.

10 Lifting Our Game — Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools through Early Childhood Interventions.

11 Premier of Victoria Media Release 4 October 2018.

Council is calling on the State

and Federal governments to work

together and provide certainty of

funding for three and four-year-old

kindergarten places.

There is extensive and consistent

evidence that confirms the benefits of

ea

rly childhood education investment

10

.

Despite this, the Commonwealth

Government has only provided funding

certainty for four-year-old kindergarten

until December 2020 under the

National Partnership on Early Childhood

Education. The State Government

has made a commitment to provide

15 hours of subsidised kindergarten

programs for all three-year-old children

by 2029

11

.

Early childhood education is an

investment, not an expense. Councils

need to be funded and supported

to ensure local infrastructure meets

community demand. Providing

support and opportunities for the

early education workforce to

grow is also critical.

By providing a solid foundation to early

childhood education, we can give local

young people in Brimbank the best

chance to start and succeed in life, and

allow

t

hem

t

o

g

o

o

n

a

nd

b

enefit

f

rom

Brimbank’s Lifelong Learning pathways

particularly around the Sunshine Super

Hub and Sunshine Priority Precinct.

18

5

Melbourne’s west is growing faster

than other metropolitan regions, and

with growth comes new opportunities,

and also new challenges. One of the

key challenges for the west of

Melbourne is improving local transport

options to complement the major rail

projects planned. This means improved

bus services, reduced travel times and

better connections within the region,

and throughout the state.

Brimbank is calling for the development

of an Integrated Transport Strategy

for Melbourne’s west, as an extension

of the Sunshine Super Hub planning

that connects directly with Brimbank’s

education network.

14 Brimbank Secondary School Needs Analysis, Derrimut 2019.

This will make it easier for workers,

especially younger and older Victorians

who may not have a car, to access

their places of education.

To be truly integrated, this strategy

must leverage the position of the

Sunshine Super Hub, and link to activity

centres in Wyndham, Melton, Hobsons

Bay, Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley.

The Sunshine Super Hub must

also

of

fer

e

fficient

c

onnections

t

o

edu

cation, health and wellbeing

services offered within Brimbank

and the broader region.

Better public transport connections

are also urgently needed for Derrimut

secondary school students who currently

need to travel excessive distances to

access government schooling

14

.

Efficient

i

ntegration

b

etween

t

he

Su

nshine Super Hub and our education

networks, will also benefit the regions

across Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo,

to have improved by providing access

and choice around accessible Jobs

and Education Precincts.

22

Brimbank is a vibrant, growing

community in the heart of Melbourne’s

west. Diversity is central to our

identity — we are proudly multicultural,

embracing people from around the

world and weaving their stories into our

own. Brimbank’s estimated resident

population of 208,714 in 2018 makes it

the fifth most populous municipality

in g

reater Melbourne.

The land the municipality now

occupies has a human history that

began with Aboriginal traditional

custodians, the Kulin Nation, more

than 40,000 years before European

settlement. The area was originally

occupied by the Kurung-Jang-Balluk

and Marin-Balluk clans of the native

Wurundjeri people.

The

fi

rst

E

uropean

s

ettlements

we

re established at Keilor in the late

1840s, Sunshine (then known as

Braybrook Junction) in the mid-1880s,

and St Albans in the late 1880s. Many

suburbs grew around the original

settlements after World War II to house

the influx of migrants. More recently,

areas that were once industrial hubs

have been transformed into new

residential suburbs that are continuing

to grow rapidly.

Brimbank spans an area between

11 and 23 kilometres west and north

west of Melbourne’s CBD.

It is bound by the City of Hume in

the north, the cities of Maribyrnong

and Moonee Valley in the east, the

cities of Hobsons Bay and Wyndham

in the south, and the City of Melton

in the west.

Our suburbs are as diverse as

our people — from the hustle and

bustle of Sunshine and St Albans

to historic Keilor, each has its own

flavour and personality.

A designated metropolitan

activity

c

entre,

S

unshine’s

p

rofile

i

s

ri

sing due to its proximity to the city

and its mouth-watering food scene.

It includes a Victoria University campus,

the Brimbank Community and Civic

Centre

a

nd

s

ignificant

r

etail

a

nd

co

mmercial activities. It is also close to

the growing Sunshine Hospital. Sunshine

services suburbs which include Albion,

Sunshine North, Sunshine West and

part of Brooklyn.

St Albans is a

designated major activity centre

that includes a Victoria University

campus, the St Albans Community

Centre and Bowery Theatre, and a

thriving restaurant and retail precinct.

St Albans services neighbouring

suburbs Albanvale, Kings Park

and Kealba.

Servicing the nearby

suburbs of Ardeer, Derrimut and

Cairnlea, Deer Park has a rich array of

restaurants and shops. Major features

of the area include the Hunt Club

Community and Arts Centre, Black

Powder Mill and Brimbank Central

Shopping Centre.

A s

ignificant

m

ajor

activity centre that will continue to

grow and develop. Sydenham

services suburbs including Calder

Park, Taylors Lakes, Delahey and

parts of Hillside. Watergardens Town

Centre is the jewel in its crown, while

Calder Park Motorsport Complex is

another landmark.

Keilor is set among rolling

hills and national and state parks,

including Organ Pipes National Park,

Brimbank Park and Green Gully

Reserve. It services suburbs including

Keilor Downs, Keilor North and Keilor

Park as well as parts of Keilor East

and Tullamarine.

Brimbank has a rich Indigenous history,

going back to when the Wurundjeri

people first inhabited the region,

thriving in the Maribyrnong Valley.

Brimbank is one of the most culturally

diverse municipalities in Australia,

with almost half of our residents born

outside Australia.

Brimbank’s suburbs boomed

after World War II, when migrants

from southern Europe flowed to the

area. More recently, newly arrived

Asian and African communities have

developed alongside the more

established European communities.

More than half of our residents speak

a language other than English at

home, with more than 160 languages

represented. The top 10 languages

other than English are Vietnamese,

Maltese, Italian, Greek, Macedonian,

Filipino, Cantonese, Arabic, Punjabi,

and Croatian.

9249 4000

info@brimbank.vic.gov.au

PO B

ox 70

SUNSHINE VIC 3020

• TTY dial

• Speak and listen

•

, then enter

facebook.com/brimbankcouncil

twitter.com/brimbankcouncil

you

tube.com/brimbankcitycouncil

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2019