THE Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has nailed his colours to the mast ahead of the Gippsland League grand final on Saturday and donned the black and teal of Wonthaggi Power.
“With all due respects to the Leongatha Parrots, Go Power!” he said during a regional housing announcement at the Wonthaggi Hospital today, Friday, September 22.
“There’s your answer,” he said as he draped the Wonthaggi Power scarf around his neck, in answer to a question from the media about where his allegiances lay ahead of the big game.
However, while the announcement at Wonthaggi today was all about boosting regional housing generally, as part of a state-defining housing statement, he did make a number of comments specific to Wonthaggi.
He said that expanding regional facilities like the Wonthaggi Hospital, operated by Bass Coast Health, would be exactly the sort of facility to benefit by a policy that would “streamline the planning process” for significant housing developments which are worth $15 million or more and deliver at least 10 per cent affordable housing as part of the project.
“With the Wonthaggi hospital employing 1100 people and, at the moment, directly leasaing 24 houses, providing 80 rooms-a-night in staff accommodation for nurses, doctors, physios, OTs and other staff members, it’s a lot of properties out of the rental market,” he said.
The hospital also rents local hotel and motel rooms to accommodate visiting medicos, nurses and allied health professionals. It’s a scenario repeated right around the state.
Mr Andrews said fast-tracking projects that would provide additional housing in fast-growing areas like Wonthaggi and Bass Coast would help the expansion of the hospital while also releasing additional accommodation on to the rental market.
And if a smile and a knowing look from the Premier means something, Wonthaggi could be in for a specific announcement in that regard in the not-too-distant future.
“Mr Premier, you’ve talked about developing more affordable housing in regional areas, as a significant owner of property in regional Victoria, would you look at turning over disused property, like the old Wonthaggi Secondary College site, for an integrated housing project?" asked the Sentinel-Times.
“Without wanting to comment on any specific site, for fear of encouraging speculation if any particular site was sold, the government has identified 45 sites around the state as being surplus to needs and suitable for housing.
“We’ll have more to say about that soon,” he said.
That’s when the smile and knowing look came in. Make of that what you will.
The redevelopment of the old secondary college site, potentially as a cultural precinct, has been on the Bass Coast Shire Council's agenda for more than a decade.
“We all agree that the former site of Wonthaggi Secondary College is a great opportunity to create something of real value to the community for the future and Council is open to partnering with the State Government,” said Mayor Cr Michael Whelan recently.
“The corner of McBride Ave and Watt St is a prime location that is too important to be wasted. I share the community’s passion, and indeed frustration, to create something special on the site, sooner rather than later.”
Apparently though, the Bass Coast Shire Council has already been offered the Crown Land site by the government, potentially for short-term use for car parking and passive recreation, until a more permanent project can be devised, but council has baulked at the idea of even spending $1.5 million to demolish the buildings and restore the site to grass.
The sticking point is that it would remain Crown Land, with the shire having management responsibilities, not ownership..
The shire says that limits what it would be able to do.
However, if the shire doesn't take up the offer, it could be passed on to another government department, for use by other agencies, or (perish the thought) even sold to the highest bidder.
The shire maintains the Bracks Labor Government made a commitment that the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant would pay rates, however, with AquaSure effectively a contractor to the government, this never happened. The shire believes the state government should simply give them the old school site, in lieu of rates, as a legacy project for hosting the state's desalination plant, on behalf of Victoria.
And it could be, with a new El Nino being declared, the desal plant might yet come into its own to secure the state's water supply.
Hopefully the impasse can be addressed by council, in whose court the ball presently sits, and the state government, soon.
We’re told the shire was primed to make an announcement in July this year, after receiving a briefing from the government but is expected to make a statement by the end of the year as to whether they'll take it on or not.
CEO of Bass Coast Health, Jan Child, confirmed that providing accommodation while attracting staff for the new hospital was an issue, noting that the hospital had to go direct to the market to secure housing, but she said she was encouraged by the commitment to delivering more housing in regional areas.
Asked if there was a specific announcement for the hospital or Wonthaggi as a result of the Premier’s visit, Ms Child said she didn’t believe so.
“Not that I know of but I’m always hopeful,” Ms Child said.
Ms Child said the provision of housing for much-needed health professionals cost the health service $750,000 annually.
But the Premier did have some positive news for the hospital, where ahead of the last State Election in September 2022, he made a promise in Wonthaggi to deliver the $290 million stage two of the hospital if he won the election. He did win, taking the seat of Bass with him, thanks to local MP Jordan Crugnale, now the most marginal seat in Victoria.
Asked if he might start on delivering stage two of the hospital build by developing services in the three empty shells, incorporated as additional capacity in stage 1, including a new higher-level maternity wing, he acknowledged it was on the agenda.
“We are looking very closely at whether we can fast-track that, yes,” the Premier told the South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.
Mr Andrews paid tribute to the local member, Ms Crugnale for her strong advocacy for the community, and to Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child and her staff.
“We love coming down to Wonthaggi to visit the hospital, we always get a very warm welcome,” he said, after chatting with staff on a brief walk through the wards.
Mr Andrews also revealed that he’d stopped off for “a very nice” coffee at a local coffee shop where he received the sort of excellent service that is a feature of small business in regional Victoria.
