Portfolio — 12 July 2026

The dominant discourse arc for Bellarine in this window is education reform. The Member for Bellarine, Ms Marchant, spoke on the Education and Training Reform Amendment Bill 2026, framing the legislation around creating safe, inclusive school environments where children feel valued and respected [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s186]. She outlined four substantive reforms the bill carries: strengthening Aboriginal recognition and self-determination across the education system; introducing consistent minimum standards for personal device restrictions in schools; modernising the teaching registration framework administered by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and enabling a unique student identifier to ease student transitions through training and into employment [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s186].

Ms Marchant drew on her background as a former teacher at Bellarine Secondary College — a school within the district — to anchor her support for the device restriction provisions. She argued that restricting personal devices during school hours enables greater student engagement and more meaningful classroom interaction, and that the bill gives schools the policy backing to enforce such restrictions [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s186].

The same education reform bill drew support from other Assembly members in the same sitting, with the Member for Bayswater commending its Education State reforms — particularly the Aboriginal recognition and self-determination measures spanning early childhood, schooling, vocational education and training, and adult community and further education systems — as well as the personal device restriction requirement [TA-260616-vichns-9dec69d94dd9:s194].

The convergence across Ms Marchant's own contribution and the Member for Bayswater's remarks on both the First Nations recognition provisions and the device policy signals coordinated emphasis on these two planks of the bill.

The window also carries a tribute dimension. Ms Marchant paid tribute to Graham Ernst, a former Member for Geelong East and Bellarine who served in the Assembly from 1979 to 1992 and died in April 2026, describing him as a gentle, considerate man who believed good representatives listen first, build relationships and bring people together [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s100].

The Member for Geelong separately commended Mr Ernst in the same sitting, characterising him as a grassroots Labor advocate for working people and trade unionists during his parliamentary service [TA-260617-vichns-9fa22f0e851d:s102]. The parallel tributes from two members — one of whom represents Bellarine, the other the adjacent Geelong district — reflect the geographic reach of Mr Ernst's legacy across this part of Victoria.