Welcome to the first article of Connolly’s Corner, a monthly piece for the Star Weekly where I talk about what our Government’s doing in the area, and what we’ll be doing next. With the new year we are now more than halfway into the Andrews Government’s second term, and there’s a lot more to be done.
With Term 1 officially kicking off, and many of us sending our kids back to school (fingers crossed they stay there), I thought it fitting to start off by talking about what our Government is doing in this space.
For the Tarneit electorate, children in Truganina now have access to a brand new primary school – Garrang Wilam Primary School. I had the pleasure of opening the school two weeks ago with the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education James Merlino. It was incredible to see how our schools design and architecture has evolved over the years, and I’m pleased to say that Garrang Wilam has set the standard for new schools being built in the future.
When it comes to education, I am proud to say that our Government has our back. Garrang Wilam Primary School is the fourth school to open in the Tarneit electorate in four years. It is also the seventh school to be built and opened by the Andrews Government in Wyndham in the last term alone – more than any other LGA in the state!
But we’re not just building new schools – we’re also upgrading existing schools. In 2018, we announced that The Grange P-12 College would receive $9.5 million to upgrade and modernise classroom facilities. This project is now well underway and nearing completion. Just last year, we announced that Dohertys Creek P-9 College in Truganina would receive $11.23 million as part of the Building Works Package to build middle school facilities so that the school can open its doors to students in years 7-9 from Term One 2022. Finally, Hoppers Crossing Secondary College will also receive $10.06 million from the 2020-21 budget, giving the school some much needed capital upgrades.
Looking ahead, there’s a lot more excitement to come. Last year’s budget provided funding to purchase land for three more schools in Tarneit and Truganina. Going forward, I’m hoping for further updates about when we can expect to see these new schools open.
