Victoria’s Budget 2020
Frankston TAFE’s Budget bonanza
Frankston campus of Chisholm Institute of TAFE was a winner in the Victorian Budget released on Tuesday 24 November.
Delayed by seven months due to the pandemic, the Budget confirmed $67.6 million for stage two of campus redevelopment.
This will include complete refurbishment of Building E and replacement of Building C. The new facilities will be home to students training in multimedia, arts, design and tourism.
Chisholm CEO Stephen Varty said Melbourne’s southeast was growing rapidly and Chisholm was working with local industry and employers to identify skills needed to ensure its students were job ready.
Stage one, completed in 2019, cost $83.4 million with the state government contributing $46.9 million. It provided facilities for health, community care, early childhood education, and hair and beauty. Stages three and four have been flagged for future consideration.
Frankston state Labor MP Paul Edbrooke supports the state government’s policy of free TAFE courses in priority disciplines, with $630 million committed for 80,000 new student spots statewide over four years. TAFEs would play a major role in retraining people who had lost jobs due to the pandemic.
Committee for Greater Frankston CEO Ginevra Hosking said confirmation of stage two was welcomed as it would “maintain continued investment in Frankston’s growing health, biomedical and higher education sector during this difficult time”.
“When complete, Frankston’s Chisholm campus will be Victoria’s largest technical training institute and will continue to provide significant social and equity benefits, with 40 per cent of TAFE students coming from lower socio-economic backgrounds,” she said.
Victoria’s TAFEs were uniquely placed to meet changes in the post-pandemic economy, including reskilling workers and developing new training.
Big loop and airport rail: not taking Frankston passengers
Frankston has missed the train – again.
The Budget contained big dollars for rail projects – connecting Melbourne’s suburban rail network, getting to the airport, and fast rail to Geelong – but not a single dollar for the long-proposed Frankston line extension.
Committee for Greater Frankston CEO Ginevra Hosking said the extension was vitally important “so Frankston and Mornington Peninsula residents can board trains at stations near where they live, instead of driving into Frankston’s CBD just to park and further restricting the suburban centre’s growth and development”.
On Budget day, Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas matched the federal $5 billion funding for Airport Rail Link, and announced $2.2 billion for the $50 billion Suburban Rail Loop through Melbourne’s middle suburbs, $2 billion for Geelong fast rail, and $660 million for Shepparton and Warrnambool line upgrades. There was $276 million for Dandenong rail corridor, and $5.5 million for track works at Caulfield.
Ms Hosking applauded the spending on “big rail” but said the harsh reality for Frankston was that congestion and lack of affordable parking in its CBD would not improve until the rail extension was built to Langwarrin or Baxter with a commuter park and ride for 1000 plus cars at one or both places.
Frankston station has just 416 commuter car parks. Weekdays the car park is full by 6.20am. Nearby car parks are gone by the time most Frankston workers arrive, let alone shoppers and visitors.
“We need the basics – actually getting people on the train, without commuter parking and traffic clogging Frankston’s CBD,” she said.
“Visionary rail projects like airport link and suburban loop are of little direct benefit if we can’t get more people on a train at their local station. “When airport link opens, things might even deteriorate further – air travellers could leave their cars in Frankston’s CBD and make the 95-minute train trip to the airport.
“We have connectivity failure. Fixing inadequate public transport between Frankston and Langwarrin is recognised by Infrastructure Australia as an immediate top 150 project in the nation. Both federal government and federal opposition recognise the value of this project and have committed to an initial $225 million. The Victorian Labor government has not.”
Ms Hosking said the “Budget silence followed hard on the recent preliminary business case where the state government frittered away $1.5 million on a document that neglected to address the central issue of how car parking congestion around our train station impacted on Frankston’s CBD economic viability”.
“The benefits of improved public transport connectivity in the region – of a project that will connect nearly 200,000 Frankston, Langwarrin and Mornington Peninsula residents to the metropolitan train network – are well documented, widely disseminated in the community, and strongly supported by our region’s major organisations. It will radically transform our region’s public transport, drive creation of new jobs and improve overall prosperity, reduce congestion on roads, free-up crowded car parks, and make better use of public and private assets such as Frankston Hospital and Monash’s Peninsula campus.”
“It’s time for the state government to get on board.”
Hospital, city centre and schools benefit too
Other items in the Budget for Frankston included $16 million to continue planning of the $562 million Frankston Hospital redevelopment, promised by the state government in 2018.
Committee for Greater Frankston CEO Ginevra Hosking said the 11-storey tower, due to be completed in 2024, would be the cornerstone of Frankston’s growing health care, medical research and education precinct. It would provide “cutting-edge, next-generation health care as well as enable the training of the next generation of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals – professional jobs so badly needed in our region”.
The ongoing “renewal of Frankston CBD” received $1.7 million in the Budget for Frankston Revitalisation Board initiatives. Ms Hosking said top of the list was Frankston’s northern gateway – Nepean Highway. “The highway precinct had been in decline for many years. It is now strongly impacting on how people see the city’s commercial centre and is scaring off investors.”
Four Frankston area schools received money for upgrades and modernisation – $4 million for Karingal Primary School, $2.75 million for Carrum Downs Secondary, $12.6 million for Frankston Special Developmental School and $2.8 million for Nepean Special School.
And one Budget item could be classified as an odd spot with the state government promising 120,000 lucky families a $200 holiday voucher to encourage tourism in regional Victoria – and this time the Mornington Peninsula qualifies.
Media Coverage:-
Budget kicks goals for education and health but commuters are left behind
Mornington Peninsula Magazine 26 November 2020
Education and health services in Frankston were big winners in Tuesday’s State Budget, but commuters have again missed the train. Chisholm Institute of TAFE’s Frankston campus will get $67.6 million for the second stage of its development; $16 million was earmarked to continue planning of the $562 million Frankston Hospital redevelopment; and four schools received money for upgrades: Karingal Primary School $4 million, Carrum Downs Secondary College $2.75 million, Frankston Special Developmental School $12.6 million, and Nepean Special School $2.8 million.
Committee for Greater Frankston CEO Ginevra Hosking said: “When complete, Frankston’s Chisholm campus will be Victoria’s largest technical training institute and will continue to provide significant social and equity benefits, with 40 per cent of TAFE students coming from lower socio-economic backgrounds.”
Ms Hosking said the 11-storey tower scheduled to be completed at Frankston Hospital in 2024 would be the cornerstone of Frankston’s growing health care, medical research and education precinct, providing “cutting-edge, next-generation health care as well as enabling the training of the next generation of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals . . . so badly needed in our region”.
The ongoing renewal of the Frankston CBD received $1.7 million for Frankston Revitalisation Board initiatives, and Ms Hosking said top of the list was the city’s northern gateway, the Nepean Highway. “The highway precinct had been in decline for many years. It is now strongly impacting on how people see the city’s commercial centre and is scaring off investors.”
Ms Hosking applauded the spending on ‘big rail’ – $5 billion to match the Federal Government’s commitment for the Melbourne airport rail link, as well as $2.2 billion towards a suburban rail loop, $2 billion for Geelong’s fast rail, $660 million for Shepparton and Warrnambool line upgrades, $276 million for the Dandenong rail corridor and $5.5 million for track work at Caulfield.
However, she was disappointed the State Government had again failed to commit to a Frankston line extension, which was vitally important “so Frankston and Mornington Peninsula residents can board trains at stations near where they live instead of driving into Frankston’s CBD just to park and further restricting the suburban centre’s growth and development”.
“We need the basics – actually getting people on the train, without commuter parking and traffic clogging Frankston’s CBD. Visionary rail projects like the airport link and suburban loop are of little direct benefit if we can’t get more people on a train at their local station.”
