The Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Ltd (DOBCEL) Executive Team was welcomed to the Victorian Parliament on Tuesday by Member for Western Victoria Region, Joe McCracken MP.
The visit coincided with a parliamentary sitting and provided an opportunity for Executive Director Tom Sexton, Deputy Director for Stewardship Megan Ioannou and Deputy Director for Catholic Education Matthew Byrne to meet with state shadow representatives and discuss key issues affecting Catholic education across the Diocese of Ballarat.
Facilitated by Mr McCracken, the DOBCEL delegation met with Richard Riordan MP, Roma Britnell MP, Brad Rowswell MP, Nicole Werner MP and Bev McArthur MP. The discussions focused on current challenges facing Catholic education and provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships with Victorian parliamentarians while advocating for the needs of local school communities.
Mr Sexton said the meetings were an important forum for raising issues impacting students, families and schools across the Diocese.
The DOBCEL Team are grateful to Joe McCracken for facilitating these conversations and creating a meaningful opportunity to engage directly with parliamentarians on matters that are important to Catholic education.
In addition to the meetings, the executive team observed Question Time in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, gaining firsthand insight into the parliamentary process and the operation of Victoria's legislative chambers.
The visit highlighted the importance of ongoing engagement between Catholic education leaders and elected representatives, ensuring the voices of regional school communities continue to be heard in policy discussions at the state level.