By Jess Baker
The State Budget, handed down last week by Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Investment Cameron Dick, included some exciting news for Warwick State High School students.
Nearly $6 million over four years will be invested in a new multi-purpose hall and disability access project at the school, as part of Labor’s initiative to support job creation in the Darling Downs region.
Education Minister Grace Grace said planning for the new hall is scheduled to start in 2021, while the equitable accessibility project is scheduled to be delivered during the upcoming December school holidays and completed by the start of the 2021 school year.
“Construction of these two projects will support around 18 local jobs,” she said.
The location of the new hall is yet to be decided, but Ms Grace said an area next to the school oval could be an option.
“The school’s current hall was built in the 1980s and caters for assemblies, sport and performance/drama activities,” she said.
“However, the school has outgrown the hall and a more modern facility is now needed.”
The Palaszczuk Government has committed $62.8 million worth of initiatives to maintain, improve and upgrade schools in the Darling Downs.
Ms Grace said state school students in the region are the “big winners from the 2020-21 State Budget, with key investments in new teachers, new classrooms and expansions of existing programs.”
Across Queensland, Labor claims to be supporting 46,000 jobs by infrastructure investment in 2020-21. $17.5 billion has been committed to education and training alone, with a total of $56 billion for infrastructure. The Budget states 58 percent of capital will be spent outside of Greater Brisbane.
Treasurer Dick said the government “is determined to directly support jobs through the delivery of infrastructure that Queenslanders deserve, no matter where they live across our vast state.”
