NEW VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT HAS $s TO BUILD A NEW TORQUAY PRIMARY SCHOOL NOW
Tuesday, 15 February 2011 04:27
The new Victorian Government does have the money, can and must accept responsibility to build a new Torquay primary school as soon as possible with the millions of dollars that have been freed from the Victorian Government's Schools Capital budget, Federal MP Darren Cheeseman said today.
"Although schools are a Victorian Government responsibility, last year the Federal Government during the Global Financial Crisis spent around $200 million in this region improving primary schooling facilities and saving the Victorian Government millions on what they would normally spend."
"This was about both creating immediate jobs and economic activity at the time and about securing a quality education primary schooling system for the future."
"In doing this the Federal Government spent the equivalent of 10 times the normal annual capital expenditure that is usually outlayed by the Victorian Government."
"We saved the Victorian Government hundreds of millions of dollars, so any argument that the Victorian Government does not have the money for a new primary school in Torquay is just a nonesense."
"The Victorian Government absolutely does have the money to build a new primary school in Torquay right now."
Darren Cheeseman said it was very fortunate that the Federal Government has invested in local primary school facilities in 2010, otherwise there would have been an even greater capacity crisis today.
"In the Federal Government's Building the Education Revolution Program locally we funded new classrooms and learning areas in Bellbrae Primary and St Therese, and we are funding an expansion of of the gymnasium at Torquay College."
"This has added significantly to the capacity of these schools."
"If we had not have done that, total existing primary school places capacity would have been reached this year, and we would already have parents travelling to Geelong to find a primary school place."
The numbers growth and the demand for primary school places are clear. (See previous article on this website for table of primary school number projections.) By 2013, the earliest a new primary school could be built, we will have 150 families travelling into Geelong to find a primary school place for their child. By 2016 over 500 local families will be forced to travel to Geelong for a primary school place.
"This should not be a political issue. Parents and families should not be forced to be out there campaigning for this. The Department and the Minister should be aware of the growth and should have planned for this."
"I am calling on the Victorian Government to make this commitment to build a new primary school right now. They have the money. It is most definately needed. We should just be getting on with it," Darren Cheeseman said.
For further information contact Joe Taylor 0416241653.
