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Education | October 13, 2022

Kealy commits to Casterton Primary School upgrades

The Nationals will provide $200,000 for Casterton Primary School to undertake urgently needed upgrades if elected to government in November.

The commitment was announced by the Member for Lowan and Deputy Leader of The Nationals, Emma Kealy during a visit to the school yesterday.

The money will be used to upgrade the school’s ailing sewerage and plumbing infrastructure, an essential first step to ensuring the full plan to redevelop the school can be realised.

Ms Kealy said the school received funding in the 2021-22 state budget for capital works to rebuild and modernise their facilities, however the Andrews Labor Government was now forcing the school to use part of this money to fix its sewerage system.

“As a result, the school community is very worried that after completing this work and other general maintenance they have to undertake just to get the site ready for redevelopment, they’ll only have enough money left for a lick of paint,” she said.

“The school has pursued the matter with the Labor government, but their ministers refuse to listen or resolve the issue. This is causing enormous angst in the school community, who want to see their capital works funding used to achieve maximum benefit for students and staff.

“The Casterton community is deeply invested in its school, and they deserve quality facilities that will meet the needs of students and staff now and well into the future. But Labor is forcing the school to relinquish some of its hard-won funding to pay for things that should be funded from maintenance budgets.

“Meanwhile, as the government continues to disregard the school’s concerns, its students are not able to use some of the toilets on school grounds.

“This issue should be fixed as a priority, and Labor should not be forcing the school to rob their capital works allocation for other projects to pay for it.

“I am committed to working with the school to ensure that their capital works funding can be used for exactly the purpose it was intended – to give staff and students the modern, fit-for-purpose classrooms and learning spaces they deserve.

“The $200,000 allocation from the Nationals and Liberals if elected to government will ensure that can happen.”

Caption: Member for Lowan Emma Kealy, left, with Casterton Primary School students, principal Jill Robertson and school council president Carmen Gorman.