By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
The Liberal-held electorate of South Barwon received a hospital and a train station but the Labor heartland seat of Lara received a prison unit in this week’s state budget.
The items were part of around $140 million in funding for Geelong region projects and services, receiving generally favourable responses from civic and community leaders.
But opposition leader Daniel Andrews said Geelong faced significant challenges in its northern suburbs.
“You need to invest in the whole of the city,” he said.
Mr Andrews also warned the city of cuts to apprenticeship initiatives that could cost the region hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The cut to the Apprentice Trade Bonus removed two $250 payments to traditional trade apprentices in their first year of training.
Geelong had a total of 8600 enrolments in apprenticeships and traineeships in 2012, around six per cent of enrolments in Victoria.
Gordon TAFE has 429 first-year apprentices enrolled.
“This is a mean-spirited cut-back. It’s pretty short-sighted, it’s just the wrong sort of decision to make and comes on the heels of the TAFE cuts last year,” Mr Andrews said.
“The real fear is that young people might change their minds about taking up an apprenticeship.”
A new 32-bed Barwon Health facility, Waurn Ponds Community Hospital, received $50 million.
State Government also confirmed funding for a Grovedale rail station and an extra $300,000 to investigate rail options from South Geelong to Drysdale and Grovedale to Torquay.
The Government announced a new 40-bed high-security unit for Barwon Prison, north of Geelong.
The prison’s existing Banksia Management Unit would also be upgraded at a total cost of $52.9 million.
The budget also confirmed $17 million for the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in the region.
Budget reaction included disappointment that the Government started its long-awaited road East West Link at the eastern end rather than at the western end where it would ease West Gate bridge congestion.
