My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education and is in relation to Apollo Bay P-12 College. The minister will be aware that in the lead-up to the 2010 state election Terry Mulder, the member for Polwarth in the Assembly, who is now the Minister for Public Transport, made an election commitment to fund the redevelopment of Apollo Bay P-12 College.
On 17 November 2010 an article in the Colac Herald stated that Mr Mulder had promised $7 million for the redevelopment but would also secure $3 million more, as the real cost of the redevelopment was $10 million, which was promised by Labor before the election.
Mr Mulder then stated that the difference between the two commitments was that the coalition government would start works on Apollo Bay P-12 College in 2012 or 2013, and he claimed that a Labor government would not do it for years. The Colac Herald published a direct quote from Mr Mulder to this effect:
“I have stated that I will start works at Colac Secondary College immediately, and I will start at Apollo Bay in 2012 to 2013.”
The commitment could not have been more clear-cut than that.
In the Colac Herald of 27 April 2012, John McConchie, the principal of the school, said that all the planning had been finished and the project was at the point of going to tender. He said:
“It’s been promised, and we’re hopeful that it will be delivered.”
He also said the community would be devastated if the funding were not in the budget. Therefore it is absolutely reasonable and understandable that the entire community of Apollo Bay was devastated when there was no money in the budget that was handed down this week for the redevelopment of Apollo Bay P-12 College.
In an article on the front page of yesterday’s Colac Herald Apollo Bay P-12 school council vice-president David Gorrie said he was disappointed. He also said:
“On the face of it that’s not good …
…
We need to know why we haven’t been funded.”
Therefore, I request that the minister provide me and the community of Apollo Bay with a written explanation as to why there has been no follow-through with the Apollo Bay community on the redevelopment of the P-12 school and why this government has broken its election commitment to a community which has worked tirelessly on this issue for some time.