Education spotlight

Education and childhood development services across the Wimmera, Mallee and Grampians fringe have emerged as a political battlefield in the wake of the State Budget.

While the government is strongly promoting major investment into projects such as expanded kindergarten services, its political adversaries are tearing holes in its commitment to regional schools.

The government has confirmed it

will invest $880-million to start a statewide rollout of subsidised kindergarten programs for three-year-olds in Northern Grampians, Hindmarsh, Yarriambiack, Buloke, South Gippsland and Strathbogie municipalities next year.

It has also confirmed Longerenong College will share in $6-million allocated to agricultural colleges.

The government committed money last year to upgrade student accommodation.

It has also announced $2.18-million for an asbestos-safety and modular building program at Horsham Primary School.

But Member for Lowan Emma Kealy was far from complimentary about what was in and-or missing from the budget for the region.

She said she was angry the government had overlooked providing capital funding to complete a Warracknabeal Education Precinct project.

“I’ve made it very clear to the government that the Warracknabeal precinct was an essential priority for this year’s State Budget. But Labor is refusing to complete this half-built project,” she said. Warracknabeal Secondary College and Warracknabeal Special Development School, which with Warracknabeal Primary School are parts of the consolidating precinct plan, are listed in the budget as being the subject of ‘completed projects’.

They also have project financial completion dates of 2020-21, raising speculation that the figures represent only stage one and the government might provide finishing money in the future.

But Ms Kealy said it was ‘outrageous’ that the newest science lab in a public school in western Victoria, part of the Warracknabeal development, had been idle for six months with students unable to use the facility.

“This lab should be being used now to educate our next generation of agronomists, grain-research scientists and nurses,” she said.

“It is beyond disappointing that Labor has yet again let down the Warracknabeal community by abandoning the project after building just half the secondary college and a third of the special development school.”

Meanwhile, details about the Horsham Primary School asbestos project were unclear yesterday, but principal Chris Walter said he welcomed the prospect of any government funding.

“We’re waiting on the finer details of what it means and excited to find out in due course,” he said.

The school operates Horsham 298 and Rasmussen Road campuses.

Ms Kealy said funding to address asbestos issues in schools was important, but added the Horsham Primary School funding, while good news, reflected a broader government plan that was ‘way behind schedule and budget’.

She said the government had made a commitment in 2014 to remove asbestos from state schools by 2020, yet many schools in Lowan electorate alone remained on a waiting list.

“And of course, Warracknabeal Secondary College is at the top of the list,” she said.

The budget has attracted mixed reactions from various sectors.

The government announced a $2.6-billion Delivering for Regional and Rural Victoria Program covering issues from education and health to transport and roads.

Many specific regional projects have little impact on the Wimmera-mallee and improved passenger rail services to the Wimmera were missing.

But the government won plaudits from the Victorian Farmers Federation for a commitment to a $142.5-million boost to Victoria’s biosecurity system, $7.2-million to support agricultural careers, and plans to cut regional payroll tax.

The VFF was critical about ‘missed opportunities’ such as tackling agricultural crime and lack of further developments on rural rates relief and clarity for a finishing date for a Murray Basin Rail Project.