Last Thursday, 20 March 2014, the Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Andrews, announced that a Labor government will fund the $12 million stage 1 upgrade of Geelong High School.
The redevelopment will involve new classrooms, upgrades of hospitality and arts facilities, toilet blocks and administration building upgrades.
This is an important announcement, and it is an announcement that the Geelong community has been waiting to hear from the Napthine government; however, after each and every budget for the last three years Geelong has been let down.
Along with the promised funding from Labor, a Labor state government will also ensure that local Geelong companies are given priority to work on the project.
These are the sorts of announcements and the forward vision that Geelong needs.
What Geelong does not need is a government that has no plan for jobs and no vision for Geelong’s future, which is all the Napthine government has offered to date.
The Geelong community knows that the Napthine government has little interest in providing first-class education for students; otherwise it would not have ripped tens of millions of dollars out of the Gordon TAFE.
If successful at the November election, Labor looks forward to continuing its previous work at Geelong High School.
It was the Brumby Labor government that approved the master plan developed by Geelong High School, only to see it shelved by the Napthine government.
In 2004 Labor also provided Geelong High School with $3.4 million for the construction of its gym and in 2006 a further $500 000 for its year 7 learning centre. It is only Labor governments that truly invest in education.