By Alesha Capone
The state government’s 2021-22 budget includes funding for new schools in Wyndham, a rail corridor upgrade and to begin planning for the redevelopment of Werribee Mercy Hospital’s emergency department.
Released this afternoon, the budget features $492 million to build13 new schools across the state including Holyoake Parade Primary School in Manor Lakes, Lollypop Creek Primary School in Werribee and Tarneit Missen House Primary School.
These three schools are due to open in 2023, and the new Truganina North Secondary School in 2024.
These are all interim names for the future schools, which will be re-named closer to being opened.
The budget also includes funding for a new stage of Tarneit Senior College, while relocatable buildings will be provided to “relieve pressure” of the growing student numbers at Manor Lakes P-12 College.
The Manor Lakes school will receive $9.4 million to replace existing temporary facilities and add capacity for an additional 400 students in permanent facilities.
The government will invest $276.4 million in acquiring land for future schools in municipalities including Wyndham, Cardinia, Casey, Hume, Melton, Mitchell and Port Phillip.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas said this would include land for a future school in Mambourin.
Apart from education, a big ticket item in the budget was a $94 million commitment to upgrade the Melton and Wyndham Vale rail corridors to allow the future operation of higher-capacity trains including nine-car VLocity trains.
Mr Pallas said the longer trains would increase capacity by up to 50 per cent during peak periods.
An additional $10.284 million has been allocated for early works at the Ison Road rail overpass in Werribee.
In the area of health, $5.7 million has been earmarked to plan the redevelopment of emergency departments at Werribee Mercy Hospital, Maroondah Hospital, Casey Hospital, Northern Hospital and Austin Hospital.
The budget paper did not specify exactly how much money has been allocated to Werribee Mercy.
The budget also mentions previously-announced funding for the new Wyndham Law Court development, but $6 million of this has been reallocated to a Bendigo justice project.
Development projects for the Wyndham Vale and Truganina fire stations have been allocated $3.5 million each.
A further $31 million has been set aside for the Werribee Irrigation District modernisation program.
