Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP has raised the much needed upgrade for the Portarlington Primary School in Parliament today.
After recently visiting the school with the Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Andrews,
and Bellerine MP, Lisa Neville, Ms Tierney has again advocated for vital funding to upgrade the Primary School.
“PortarlingtonPrimary School has a good number of enrolments, great teachers, a caring and driven Principal, committed and engaged parents and great kids.” Ms Tierney said.
“But what it doesn’t have is the $60,000 needed for the schematic stage of the upgrade.
“The school has completed the Masterplan phase and there has been a high level of work and consultation already undertaken,” Ms Tierney said.
However the Baillieu Government turned its back on the community of Portarlington
allocating not one cent in the 2011 May budget for the school upgrade.
“There was shock and real disappointment in the community when the Baillieu Government’s first budget had nothing in it for them, whereas Labor had promised $6 million for the redevelopment of the school,” Ms Tierney said.
“I remind the Government that the Portarlington community is only too well aware that if the money is not in the next budget, then it brings the project to an indefinite halt.”
Ms Tierney called on the Minister for Education, Martin Dixon to commit to funding the Portarlington School Upgrade or risk losing the planned upgrade altogether.
“The stepping stones for school funding require an allocation in sequential State Budgets.
“Failure for this to occur will stop the redevelopment,” Ms Tierney said.