Labor pledges $9.1 million towards Bellbrae Primary School

LABOR has bettered the Coalition’s pledge to Bellbrae Primary School, promising to deliver $9.1 million in upgrades if the party retains government at November’s state election.

Education Minister James Merlino visited the school on Thursday to announce the money would go towards a new competition-grade gym, upgrading the school’s oval, and building new open learning spaces as well as science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) facilities.

The $9.1 million commitment means there is now bipartisan support from the major parties – it comes less than a month after the Coalition’s announcement that there would be $8 million in their first budget.

Touring the school with Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney and South Barwon candidate Darren Cheeseman, Mr Merlino said Labor’s pledge would be on top of the $1 million already delivered to the school.

“We’ve got the biggest school building program in the history of the state, and it’s really exciting that you’re a part of it.”

However, the $9.1 million promise comes with a caveat – it is not guaranteed to be delivered in Labor’s first budget.

Mr Merlino said about 80 per cent of Labor’s pledges ahead of the 2014 state election were funded in the 2015/16 budget, and that the Bellbrae Primary School community “can have some confidence” that their money would be in Labor’s 2019/20 budget.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy and South Barwon MP Andrew Katos visited the school on June 25 to make their $8 million pitch, and Mr Katos said the Coalition’s pledge also included a commitment to move the school onto mains water.

“I raised this school with James Merlino in 2015, and mentioned it in Parliament on at least 10 occasions.

“It’s taken a commitment from the Liberal Party to get the Labor Party to make a commitment.”

Bellbrae school council president Mitch Barrow was “absolutely ecstatic” about Labor’s announcement, saying the larger figure “opens up more possibilities”.

“We’re in the clear. There was lots of excitement about the first commitment, but now it’s bipartisan, we’re rapt and we can relax a little bit now.

“We’ll have to sit down and think about what’s the best way to use that funding.”