$45m of TAFE capital works

The Minister for Tertiary Education and Training Phil Honeywood has announced a $45.7 million capital works program for nine TAFE colleges in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

In one of the projects, Melbourne's former Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital will become the city's newest training centre.

Five capital works projects are to start this year:

• New Fairfield campus (Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE) - $10.95 million
• Gordon Institute of TAFE (Geelong) - $5.2 million
• East Gippsland Institute of TAFE (Bairnsdale campus) - $3.1 million
• Victoria University of Technology (Sunshine TAFE campus) - $3.09 million
• Kangan Batman Institute of TAFE (Broadmeadows campus) - $2.9 million

The remaining four projects to start in 2000 are:

• South West Institute of TAFE (Warrnambool campus) - $6.5 million
• Swinburne University of Technology (Prahran TAFE campus) - $6.07 million
• RMIT (city TAFE campus) - $4.9 million
• Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE - $2.96 million

The funding was provided through the Australian National Training Authority.

The north side of the former Fairfield Hospital site will become the Fairfield campus of Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE. It will host training in conservation/agriculture/horticulture, languages, the arts, community services and health.

About 3000 students will attend the new campus, which is expected to establish close ties with the nearby Yarra Bend Trust golf course and recreational reserve, Collingwood Children's Farm, and Yarra River wetlands. Courses will be relocated to the new Fairfield campus from the college's Parkville and Collingwood campuses.

The Collingwood campus will eventually be sold. The Parkville campus will be acquired by another State Government Department.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Tertiary Education and Training, 3 March 1999)