St Vincent de Paul Primary School (SVdPPS) is a small school with deep ties to the tight-knit Strathmore community & the rate paying families that live in the Moonee Valley City Council (MVCC) Electorate.

As the families and friends of this community, we have made this petition due to being under significant financial pressure as a result of the MVCC charging the school an exorbitant amount - exceeding 100k - for ‘Road Occupancy Permit’ fees during a recent construction.

Our school rebuilt a retaining wall, which had become unstable over time, facing Woodlands Street - a busy thoroughfare with access to a thriving suburban shopping strip & train station - the heart of a Moonee Valley suburb. The reconstruction was necessary for the safety of not just our young students but, for the wider community who frequent this area. 

To complete these demolition and construction works safely, and in compliance with the Building Act, the footpath needed to be closed for a period of 16 weeks. As a result, MVCC levied a Road Occupancy Permit fee to SVdPPS of $6,569.75 per week - with the total owed mounting to beyond $105,000.00 by completion.

We feel this is an outrageous sum of money to take from a small, not for profit school community - who are dedicated to use the school’s already-stretched budget, time & resources for improving the education & betterment of young children - especially following a world-wide pandemic.

In this David & Goliath battle - our community is calling upon the important lessons learnt from this biblical story of bravery, courage and faith - these are the lessons we teach our children every day at SVdPPS - and as a school community, we feel this battle is worth the fight and are not giving up.

All attempts from SVdPPS to have this matter appropriately reviewed & ultimately withdrawn have been largely ignored by MVCC - conclusively, it is the ‘right’ thing to do for the young students that attend this school, that the Council, that is meant to represent them & their best interests, withdraw this fee immediately. 

Please help us by signing this petition, respectfully requesting MVCC to withdraw any outstanding fees , leaving the money in the school community, where it can be of benefit to the people that actually deserve to have access to it - our children.

Thank you!