The opening of the rebuilt Moora Residential College today is a significant event for all families and educators in Durack. I congratulate everyone that has contributed to this great result.
Federal Member for Durack, the Honourable Melissa Price, said it was the Morrison Government who fought to stop the McGowan Government’s negligence when it announced in 2017 it was going to close this important facility, basically putting it in the ‘too hard’ basket by a city centric government.
“Without the sustained community campaign that was mounted to fight this decision by the McGowan Government, with little recognition of the importance of this facility, this education option for Durack families would have been lost. I fought very hard to secure the Federal funding to save the residential college. But all credit goes to the powerful campaign of the Moora locals and the thousands of Western Australians who understood what was at stake”, Ms Price said.
“It was an expedient decision that made me angry at the time, and one that I and many others knew we had to fight. Today we celebrate a wonderful community victory for country education and common sense. This is a $8.7 million dollar Morrison Government vote of confidence in regional families”, she said.
The project was funded under the Community Development Grants Programme and included the demolition of ageing student dormitories, and the construction of new recreational and accommodation facilities for 50 students who attend Central Midlands Senior High School, adjacent to Moora Residential College.
This project is expected to increase the number of enrolments at the college and therefore increase the number of families remaining in the region and attract new families to the region to live. This results in future socio-economic benefits for the area.
“Local business was also able to demonstrate clearly at the time that a loss of a boarding facility like this in the community would also impact on the boost local business relied on from parents of students at the college shopping and accessing services while in town”, Ms Price said.
The completion of this project demonstrates the Morrison Government’s commitment to supporting rural and regional students to have access to secondary education, ensuring they have the same opportunities as metropolitan students.
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Media Contact: Rose Crane 0427 587395, Rosemea.Crane@aph.gov.a