By Alesha Capone
A Wyndham councillor has accused the state government of resisting a feasibility study for a new school because it doesn’t want to fund the school.
Wyndham council wrote to the Minister for Education James Merlino earlier this year, requesting a feasibility study to “locate available sites for new schools in Williams Landing and Point Cook”, and received the minister’s response in July.
However, a state government spokesperson told Star Weekly that there is “no need” for a study to be conducted.
Cr Aaron An – who is a representative of the Harrison ward, which includes Williams Landing – disagreed.
He questioned why the state government has committed funding to build a new primary school in Docklands, due to open next year, when figures showed there are more children living in Williams Landing.
Cr An said there is an estimated 1753 residents in Williams Landing who are aged between five and 18 years old, including 884 youngsters aged between five and nine.
In comparison, there is an estimated 788 school-aged children in Docklands, including 557 aged between five and nine years old.
“There are more children in Williams Landing than there are in Docklands,” Cr An said.
“Why are we then not seeing funding for a dedicated school in our suburb?”
“I believe the Victorian government are resisting a study because they know the demand is there but don’t want to fund the school,” Cr An said.
“All we’re asking for is a feasibility study to confirm demand for a school for Williams Landing.”
Cr An said there was also six bus routes serving Williams Landing, and that building a local school would help to ease congestion on busy roads in peak hours.
A state government spokesperson said: “Annual reviews are conducted into the need for new schools using demographic modelling of residential growth, demographic change and enrolment trends at schools across Victoria – as such there is no need for a feasibility study as this work is ongoing”.
The spokesperson said the state government consulted with stakeholders, including local government and the Victorian Planning Authority, “to ensure demographic modelling is in line with the real experience, and that identified sites are appropriate for school development.”
