No time like the present

SIR, – My mum always said ‘there is no time like the present’ when it comes to getting things done.

Now is the time to sort out the Warracknabeal Education Precinct mess.

The time for looking for scapegoats is past. Whoever dropped the ball is proving harder to find than the Loch Ness monster, so best to focus on outcomes. 

The State Government has just announced a tremendous $82-million package to support rural school students. They even used a photo of the Premier with a Warracknabeal Secondary College student to promote it on Facebook.

Hopefully that’s a hint that funding for this regional education precinct is being addressed because one thing is clear – to take advantage of these announcements you need modern fit-for-purpose classrooms every day.

The State Budget won’t be handed down until May but about now is when the process starts and the precinct has to be funded in next year’s budget.

What needs to happen right now is for the minister to sign off on permissions to allow the Victorian Schools Building Authority to do the final planning before works start.

When that happens there’s no reason why the process won’t be completed in time for the funding to be announced in the State Budget. It’s called joined-up government.

Over to you Minister Merlino. The sooner it’s done the sooner this goes away.

Dave Lennon

Jung

The entire October 2, 2019 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!