Whittlesea council has a clear message to the state government in the lead-up to the 2012–13 budget: commit to fund Mernda Secondary College on Cookes Road, Doreen.
City of Whittlesea general manager advocacy, Griff Davis, said the city’s fast-growing population was putting pressure on nearby schools, which could disadvantage students in larger classes with too few teachers.
“Our number one priority is getting a firm commitment to Mernda Secondary,” Mr Davis said.
A preliminary study for the Mernda rail extension is also on the council’s wish list for the state budget, which will be delivered on May 1.
Mr Davis said taking this one small step towards the Mernda extension would cost only a couple of hundred thousand dollars and would “get us off their backs for a while”.
A study would identify parts of the existing rail reservation too narrow for dual tracks, and where neighbouring land may need to be acquired.
It could also identify land for a station between South Morang and Mernda, he said.
Jemal Ahmet, CEO of welfare group Whittlesea Community Connections, wants funds for the organisation’s bus, which provides transport to disadvantaged residents and relies on volunteer drivers.
Funding for the co-ordinator who runs the service finishes in June, and a campaign to get local businesses to fund the purchase of a used bus, to be hired out at weekends to fund the free service, had been unsuccessful.
For coverage of funded projects from this year’s budget, visit northernweekly.com.au on Tuesday.
