Parents and advocacy group Equality for Autism are calling on the state government to establish a third special development school in the west.
Equity for Autism held a community meeting on May 26, during which to raise awareness of its push for the school.
Melbourne’s west is home to two special development schools at Sunshine and Yarraville.
According to Equity for Autism, there are 200 places available at Sunshine Special Development School and 85 places at Yarraville Special Development School.
“That’s a total of 285 placements to serve families across a massive region spanning over 40 kilometres,” a group spokesperson said.
“Our region is being left behind, and our children are paying the price.
“Families are being forced to send their children far out of area, often on long, overwhelming commutes. This places additional stress on children with complex needs – and on their parents and carers, many of whom are already stretched thin emotionally, financially, and logistically.”
To achieve its aim Equality for Autism has launched a petition and is calling for community members to share their struggles around securing a place at a special development school for their child.
“This campaign isn’t just about infrastructure. It’s about fairness. It’s about giving our children the chance to thrive. And it’s about saying, once and for all, our kids matter too,” the spokesperson said.
The Department of Education annually reviews the need for new schools, including specialist schools, using demographic modelling of residential growth, demographic change and enrolment trends at schools across Victoria.
A state government spokesperson said a specialist school was being built in Point Cook and would open at the beginning of 2026 for students in prep to year 5 with mild to profound intellectual disability.
“Our priority is that every child, no matter where they live, has access to a world-class education,” the spokesperson said.
“Specialist schools in Melbourne’s west are benefiting from Victoria’s largest-ever single investment to upgrade every specialist development school across the state.”
Equality for Autism is also looking for parents to be part of a video for a social media campaign, which will be filmed on Saturday, June 28. To take part, email jeff@equalityforautism.org
To sign the petition: https://shorturl.at/6C4H5
