Thursday, 26 May 2022

Bellarine electorate projects

Ms NEVILLE (Bellarine—Minister for Water, Minister for Police) (10:03): It has been a busy and exciting time in Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale with a number of projects and funding announcements. I was pleased to join the Premier, mayor Ross Ebbels and Queenscliffe Historical Museum president Stephen Lee on a site visit of the newly completed Queenscliffe Hub. We invested $4.2 million in the new hub, which will be home to the museum, the visitor information centre and the library and also provide a community activity space. Congratulations to all connected to the project, particularly the project control group and the steering group members. We are really looking forward to the opening day in the very near future.

Speaking of Queenscliff, I have also just this week been at Queenscliff Primary School, a great school of 158 kids, grown from six, providing a really first-class education to its students. I was very pleased to announce funding of just on $500 000 to do some refurbishment, including staff and student toilets. I commend Richard Buckingham and the entire school community for their tireless work for the school. I was also pleased to be able to announce at the historic Point Lonsdale Lighthouse $1 million of funding allocated for its ongoing upgrade. I thank all of the volunteers who have so passionately committed to the preservation of the lighthouse reserve, especially those serving on the project reference group. And only last week the I welcomed the Minister for Creative Industries to Queenscliff for the iconic Blues Train led by Hugo T Armstrong—$40 000 to get that train back on track following COVID.