Tuesday, 25 August 2026

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:52): (2529) My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. What is happening in Ararat at the moment is an absolute disgrace. Aradale, which is one of the beating hearts of the Ararat community, was shut down over the weekend. And why has it been shut down? Because Melbourne Polytechnic cannot manage the site properly. They might be forgiven for not knowing about the problem, but it was raised by me in this chamber in February this year, and nothing has been done to repair the building to a state where people can be brought through it. Nothing has been done at all. Tourism operators and local accommodation providers are all impacted by this, and nothing has been done. It has been completely ignored. My question to the minister is: what are you going to do to fix this situation that you have known about for months and months and months?