State opposition leader Matthew Guy has pledged to providing a public primary school in Lucas for Ballarat’s expanding western suburbs if the Coalition wins government at the November election.
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The-then Napthine government pledged $5 million to build stage one of the school before losing the election.
The state government committed an unspecified funding figure in the 2017/18 budget to acquire the land in Lucas, but has not yet allocated money to build the school.
Speaking from the school’s designated site on O'Shannassy Parade on Tuesday, Mr Guy recommitted the $5 million and said he hoped the facility would be opened in time for the 2020 school year.
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“The 2020 year is what I’d like to see if we can get everything up and running very quickly and get the land purchase in place,” Mr Guy said. “That 18 or 12 month time frame has been working in other growth areas of Melbourne and if it can’t be 2020 then the 2021 year would be hopeful...but that includes a stage two on top of that.”
Mr Guy said he would also seek to engage with the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria about shared facilities between the public school and the neighbouring Siena Catholic Primary School, which was opened in 2017.
Siena opened with 70 pupils at the beginning of 2017 and is expected to have up to 140 students in 2018, while nearby Alfredton Primary has about 600 pupils.
In a statement provided to The Courier last week, Education Minister James Merlino said “negotiations for a site for the new Lucas Primary School are well underway with land acquisitions normally taking between 12 and 18 months”.
