GOVT SHOULD PAY FOR SCHOOL GAS CONNECTION: HALL

Gippsland MP Peter Hall will continue to push the State Government to foot the whole bill for connection of natural gas to the Bairnsdale Secondary College.

Mr Hall raised the matter in State Parliament this week, because he believes the School is being asked to provide some $100,000 towards the cost of connection.

"I believe the cost of connection and installation of gas heaters is costing in the order of $300,000, with the Department providing $200,000 but asking the school community to pay for the balance of the up-front costs," Mr Hall said.

"The provision of basic infrastructure like heating should be fully paid for by the Government. It is outrageous to expect locally raised funds to be put into this use; after all the State is far from cash strapped."

Mr Hall added that he feared the School would again be reliant this winter on an inefficient and expensive diesel fired boiler for heating.

"The reason I raised this matter in Parliament was to try and force the Government into doing something about this case and admit that the Government should be meeting this cost.

"While the Minister for Energy Industries could not answer the question as to why the Bairnsdale Secondary College is required to contribute $100 000 of its own locally raised school funds towards the cost of natural gas connection, I was intrigued that he admitted that in government secondary colleges, any cost of extension of natural gas would normally fall on the government."

Mr Hall said it made sense for the State to meet all of the connection costs, as in the long term there would be savings to the Education Department.

"It will be a lot cheaper to heat the School with natural gas and the running costs will be correspondingly less.

"The money raised by the School community should be used for other purposes, not normal running costs.

"I will continue to pursue this matter and seek to ensure the Government pays the whole cost of gas connection to Bairnsdale Secondary College," Mr Hall added.

Media contact: Peter Hall's office (03) 5174 7066