25 November 2011
David Morris MP, Member for Mornington has announced every government school in the electorate will undergo a full maintenance audit as the first step in reversing a decade of Labor government neglect. Schools will also share in additional maintenance funding.
Auditors will visit every Victorian government school over the next six months to gain a comprehensive picture of the current state of their facilities.
Mr Morris said the Condition Assessment Audit was needed following 11 years of school maintenance neglect by the previous Labor government and would be used to prioritise much-needed repairs.
“Many schools in my electorate need some major maintenance works. Our children need to feel safe and comfortable in their working environments. I welcome this funding boost and will ensure that the schools in the Mornington Electorate benefit from this added Government assistance.”
The audit is part of a $100 million Victorian Coalition Government boost to school maintenance funding.
“The Coalition Government’s maintenance funding boost will reverse Labor’s cuts to maintenance funding, which dropped from $73 million in 2000-01 to just $59 million in 2009-10, a 20 per cent cut over 10 years.”
The audit will assess the condition of all rooms in schools, outbuildings and covered walkways and will enable maintenance funding to be targeted to urgent projects and provide principals with the information they need to better direct their annual maintenance funding.
“The task of overcoming a decade of neglect is massive, however, this government’s commitment of additional maintenance funding will enable schools to start making inroads into their maintenance backlog.”
Thanks to the Victorian Government’s extra $100 million maintenance boost announced in the recent Victorian Budget, annual funding for school maintenance has grown by $25 million to almost $90 million in 2011-12.
The audit is expected to be finalised by May next year.
Printer Friendly Version...
There are currently no comments, be the first to post one.