By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
SCHOOLS in the south-east have benefited from what State Treasurer Tim Pallas has labelled “the biggest education budget in Victoria’s history”.
Mr Pallas made mention in his 2015/16 budget speech of a Cranbourne Secondary College student who said: “I love school but these classrooms are absolutely disgusting”.
In the budget, Cranbourne Secondary College was allocated $1 million over two years for planning towards a $10 million upgrade.
The upgrade includes redeveloping its science and technology wing and new classrooms.
Berwick Fields, Chandler Park ($500,000), Hampton Park ($5 million), Springvale Rise primary schools, Dandenong High School ($3 million), and Keysborough ($1.5 million), Lyndale ($7 million) and Noble Park ($5 million) secondary colleges are also in line for upgrades over coming years.
The state’s “biggest increase in school funding” includes $178 million to help disadvantaged students go on school camps, get free eye tests and free breakfasts.
Mr Pallas said the government was still chasing more than $13 billion in promised Gonski Federal funding for the next 10 years.
The State Government has also allocated $21 million for the final stage of the Thompsons Road duplication, and a $106 million upgrade of Casey Hospital over the next five years.
Suburbs in Casey and Cardinia will share in a $50 million Interface Councils Infrastructure Fund covering 10 outer-suburban councils.
The fund will be used for multi-purpose facilities, community centres, and playgrounds.
The government will also commit to 20 E-class trams and 21 VLocity regional carriages, which could be built at Bombardier’s factory in Dandenong as part of a $2 billion rolling-stock package.
It has also recently announced the removal Noble Park’s three level crossings by 2018, and the initial stages of upgrading the Cranbourne-Pakenham rail corridor.
Mr Pallas said the larger Casey Hospital would treat 12,000 more patients, perform 8000 more surgeries and support 500 more births.
Its new acute in-patient tower will include 96 extra beds, an intensive care unit and four operating theatres.
A $60 million elective surgery blitz across the state’s hospitals was also announced.
The Thompsons Road project, which duplicates two sections and seven kilometres of the arterial, is expected to be completed by June 2018.
The sections – between Dandenong-Frankston Road and South Gippsland Highway, and between Narre Warren-Cranbourne and Clyde roads – are used by 24,000 vehicles a day.
The funds include design, environmental studies, traffic modelling, identifying underground services and property surveys.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera said the duplication would be a “significant boost” for a “key freight and transport corridor”.
“Labor started the duplication of this local main arterial, Labor is finishing the job.”
