Friday, 27 October, 2017

Students from across Bass Coast Shire are set to be big winners with a brand new senior campus with first-rate facilities to be built at Wonthaggi thanks to funding from the Andrews Labor Government.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing today met with excited students, teachers and community members at Wonthaggi Secondary College to announce the $32.5 million funding boost.

The new senior campus will be located on a purpose-built site adjacent to the Bass Coast Specialist School and will be a major step in achieving the community’s dream of a dedicated education and learning precinct.

The new state of the art campus will have outdoor learning areas and a central plaza, a library and specialist facilities for visual arts, graphics, materials technology and science.

It will also feature a new multi-sport highball stadium that will be available for community use with three competition-grade basketball courts, a canteen, change rooms as well as specialist spaces for performing arts, music and food technology.

The stadium will provide a much-needed home for the Wonthaggi Amateur Basketball Association, which has 400 members, no home facilities and has been campaigning for new facilities for years.

It will also be used by 150 indoor netball players in the local area and meet growing demand for modified versions of the game including Fast5 and Rock Up Netball.

The project will be managed by the Victorian School Building Authority and will go out to tender in December 2017. Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months, with the exact schedule to be confirmed when a builder is appointed.

Today’s announcement is an important partnership between the Labor Government and Bass Coast Shire, with the Council contributing $1.5 million towards the costs of the stadium that will be available for community use.

The investment comes on the back of an unprecedented $2.5 billion in school infrastructure over the past three Budgets, including numerous projects across regional Victoria from Warracknabeal to Wonthaggi, and Casterton to Corryong.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Every family in the Bass Coast area deserves access to the very best school facilities and that’s why we will completely rebuild Wonthaggi Secondary’s senior campus from the ground up.”

“Wonthaggi Secondary already has some of the best teachers, students and staff – now they’ll have the world-class classrooms, buildings and sporting facilities to match.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing

“This is a fantastic outcome for the entire Bass Coast community, who will not only get their secondary senior campus rebuilt after decades of neglect, but will have a brand new indoor sports stadium for everyone to enjoy.”

“This is a great example of what can be achieved when people work together to develop potential and momentum for the communities benefit.”