Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has renewed calls in Federal Parliament for the Victorian State Government to prioritise the construction of a new Sale College campus, describing the current facilities as outdated and no longer fit for purpose.
Speaking in Canberra, Mr Chester said the school, which is currently split across two sites with a junior campus in Guthridge Parade and a senior campus on the corner of York Street and McAllister Street, is in urgent need of a complete rebuild.
“When it comes to schools in need of urgent funding, you don’t need to look any further than my old public school, Sale College,” Mr Chester said.
“Students and teachers are dealing with facilities that are more than 50 years old and well beyond their useful life.
“The junior campus, in particular, is literally falling apart.
“I’ve seen video footage in recent weeks where, on a rainy day, water is streaming through the ceiling into classrooms.
“It’s beyond its useful life, and there’s no point attempting to refurbish these facilities when an entirely new school is required.
“There has been structural damage to some rooms and others can’t even be used at the moment.”
Mr Chester said the ageing infrastructure also raised serious safety concerns.
“There are risks associated with mould and asbestos building materials, and those sorts of issues can’t be solved with a few coats of paint or basic maintenance works,” he said.
“Parents and teachers I’ve spoken to are understandably frustrated and disappointed with the conditions students are being asked to learn in.”
Mr Chester said a new single-site campus would deliver better educational outcomes for students while also providing long-term cost savings.
“The current split-campus model doesn’t meet the needs of students, teachers or support staff,” he said.
“As a former student of Sale College, I strongly believe the best solution is a brand-new school on one site.”
Mr Chester said the project remained the top public school infrastructure priority across his electorate.
“From Morwell to Mallacoota, this is the number one public school infrastructure project in Gippsland because of the poor conditions students have been dealing with for years,” he said.
Mr Chester has been advocating for the project for many years alongside his state parliament colleague and Victorian Nationals Leader, Member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien.
“Danny O’Brien and I have been calling on the State Government to prioritise the construction of a new Sale College campus, but year after year we’ve received little more than excuses,” he said.
“If the State Government wasn’t wasting $15 billion on CFMEU corruption, we would have had a new school in Sale years ago.”
Mr Chester said redeveloping the school on a new site would not only benefit the Sale College community but also create opportunities for the broader Sale community.
“A new campus would free up valuable land at both the York Street and Guthridge Parade sites, which could be repurposed for housing or other community uses,” he said.
“While the Federal Government contributes funding to the states for education, it is ultimately up to the Victorian Government to decide where that money is spent.
“It’s time for the State Government to put Sale College at the top of the list and deliver the modern school facilities our students deserve.”
