Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Liberals commit $2 million to Surrey Hills Primary School

News Release - Tuesday, 24 October 2006

A Liberal Government will commence Surrey Hills Primary School's major upgrade project with a $2 million commitment in next year's budget, Shadow Minister for Education, Martin Dixon, announced today.

Mr Dixon made the commitment after inspecting the school together with local member Robert, Clark, State MP for Box Hill.

"Surrey Hills Primary School has a clear case for a major redevelopment," Mr Dixon said.

"It has over 400 students on a very small site, with limited playgrounds and very cramped conditions. It has a site of only 1.1 hectares, compared with an entitlement of over 3.5 hectares for a school of its size.

"It has a sprawling collection of old classrooms and relocatables, and is forced to use corridors for storage areas due to limited space.

"Even the original brick building which gives the school its character is in need of substantial maintenance and upgrading.

"To free up adequate playground space, the solution has to be to build upwards and consolidate existing classrooms in two storeys, while refurbishing the original section of the school."

Mr Clark welcomed the commitment, saying the school had been campaigning for a long time for an upgrade.

"I took up the case school's case with the then Minister for Education, Mary Delahunty, back in 2001, asking for the school to be included in the upgrades program for 2002.

"The school's need became even more urgent when the school lost further playground area in 2002 for a new portable classroom, and I again appealed to the Minister. However, the government rejected these appeals.

"The school then prepared its own master plan for an upgrade, but this was also ignored by the government.

"Just recently, the government raised expectations by announcing that the school would have a new master plan prepared. However, this plan will not even be considered by the government before it goes into caretaker mode prior to the State election, leaving the school at risk of having its new plan ignored again after the election.

"I am therefore very pleased that the Liberal Party is prepared to make a firm commitment that if elected it will get this long awaited upgrade underway with $2 million of funding in next year's state budget."