By Luke Voogt
Outraged parents have slammed the Andrews Government’s failure to repair a Geelong school eight months after vandals burnt down its newest building.
“We’ve had enough,” said Newcomb Park Primary School Council president Miranda Hurley.
“We got to the end of term three and nothing had been done. I thought ‘this is crazy’.
“I’ve had to turn to the media to speed things up … due to frustratingly long periods of waiting.”
Arsonists torched the building on 24 January, destroying the building for grades prep to thee and school ceremonies.
The state opposition slammed the government yesterday for neglecting the rebuild while providing $3.1 million to a school in the marginal Labor seat of Northcote, set for a by-election after the death of MP Fiona Richardson.
But Newcomb’s school was “completely overlooked” for funding, Ms Hurley said.
“All sorts of new projects are going on in and around Geelong as well. We’re very angry we’ve had to wait for a simple rebuild.”
The building remained ruin following a bureaucratic mistake at Victorian School Building Authority, Ms Hurley said.
“They pledged to rebuild within three or four months but instead they passed the rebuild onto another authority altogether.
“It’s been a real trial for the principal and her staff to be able to teach at Newcomb Park.”
The government announced millions of dollars in upgrades for Geelong schools this year.
“I’d like to think that the government doesn’t focus on one area more than another,” Ms Hurley said.
But the long wait had made her think otherwise, she said.
“Here we are approaching term four and not a single contractor has been to the school.”
Ms Hurley said the authority had been reluctant even to replace teaching materials lost in the fire.
The school council had also heard nothing from police regarding any suspects, she said.
Community groups and businesses had raised almost $25,000 for the school, Ms Hurley said, with the RACV donating $15,000, East Geelong Uniting Church $3000 and individuals another $1000.
“We put up the (fundraising) page knowing it would take a while for the government to recoup the costs.
“People were quite quick to empty their pockets and we were amazed by the generosity of the local community.”
The kindness of a former student was particularly stunning, Ms Hurley said.
“He walked in and gave $500 in cash to the principal.”
Victorian School Building Authority chief executive Chris Keating admitted the lack of progress at Newcomb Park was “not good enough”.
“It’s a big job, it’s a $1 million job, but there’s no doubt it’s a late project,” he told 3AW yesterday.
Mr Keating said work would begin in term four, with the repairs complete in time for next year.
But the authority was already too late, Ms Hurley said.
“We’d like the building to start straight away.
“We don’t know where we’re going to hold our grade six graduation, if we can at all.”
