When Matthew spoke at the 5 August City of Port Phillip Council meeting on behalf of St Kilda Park Primary School (SKiPPS), his message wasn’t about taking funding away from another school.

Quite the opposite.

The SKiPPS community is pleased neighbouring schools have secured much-needed investment. Every local child deserves a properly funded school.

The issue Matthew raised was the extraordinary percentage difference between what SKiPPS received and funding provided to other local schools — and whether Council was prepared to advocate for a fairer outcome.

Cr Crawford’s response, including the proposition that Council can’t advocate for everyone, was therefore disappointing.

Really?

Nobody expects Council to magically obtain everything everybody asks for. But there is an enormous difference between promising everyone everything and, as Cr Beti Jay effectively argued, advocating fairly for everyone.

And since that Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Bryan Mears has done exactly what residents should expect an elected representative to do.

On 14 August, Cr Mears, accompanied by Cr Serge Thomann, visited SKiPPS to see the conditions firsthand. His assessment was unequivocal:

“The inspection of school facilities reveals aging infrastructure urgently in need of an upgrade. Cr. Mears found the children’s toilet facilities to be in need of complete replacement.”

Cr Mears also recognised this isn’t simply a school issue. Lakeside Ward provides a large and growing number of SKiPPS students, and that growth places increasing pressure on already ageing infrastructure.

His conclusion deserves particular attention:

“Strong advocacy and an increased focus on this school is vital to keep pace with a rapidly growing population in Lakeside.”

Exactly.

Cr Mears also raised the potential community benefit of incorporating a community centre into rebuilt school facilities, something he says is sadly missing from Lakeside Ward.

This is what constructive local advocacy looks like.

Visit the school. Speak to the people affected. Look at the facilities. Understand the evidence. Then take that evidence to the State Government and fight for a fair outcome.

It isn’t about SKiPPS versus another Port Phillip school.

If another local school desperately needs investment, advocate for them too.

That’s why Cr Jay’s position is so important: advocate fairly.

Our Councillors weren’t elected to decide which parts of their community are worthy of advocacy. They were elected to represent the whole municipality — including challenging Spring Street when funding outcomes don’t appear equitable.

Governments come and go. Our schools and communities remain.

So perhaps the question for Council is very simple:

If the Deputy Mayor can walk through SKiPPS, see ageing infrastructure and children’s toilets requiring complete replacement, and conclude that stronger advocacy is vital, why shouldn’t Council collectively do exactly that?

Advocacy isn’t about taking from one school to give to another. It’s about making sure every local child gets a fair go.