Unite on school, says MP

By Jim Mynard
LA TROBE MP Jason Wood believes people power could get a secondary college built at Timbarra.
The Federal Liberal MP, who attended a public meeting in Timbarra on Monday night, said the issue was a state matter, but he would lobby the State Government through the Federal Minister for Education.
“I will also work with the State Government to help achieve this,” he said.
Nearly 100 people attended the meeting held to discuss ways that the Education Department land at the corner of Parkhill Drive and Ernst Wanke Road could be retained for community use.
Residents clearly stated their preference for a secondary college with associated sporting facilities to be built on the land as originally promised.
Successive governments have listed the land as surplus after a firm promise that it would be the site of a primary and secondary school with associated sporting facilities.
The meeting, with the theme ‘Housing versus Sports’, quickly changed to a call for a school with associated sporting facilities.
Liberal Party candidate for Narre Warren North Mick Morland assured the meeting that a Liberal state government would build the secondary college.
And Narre Warren North Labor State MP Luke Donellan said he would soon make a statement on his government’s decision on future use of the site.
This seemed to inspire hope with people in the audience and led Mr Wood to state that residents could get the school if they strongly lobbied all sections of government.
“Mick Morland has committed to having the school built and I felt that Luke Donellan was seeing things in a similar way.
“I would support this and I believe that if we all pull together we may be able to get the State Government on board.
“However, we would need strong community support,” he said.