Victorian Government Media | 25 July 2013
The possible closure of Swinburne’s Lilydale campus led to widespread community protests. Source: Steve Tanner – News Ltd
The Victorian government says it is committed to having vocational and higher education delivered at the Swinburne Lilydale campus in Melbourne’s outer east.
Minister for higher education Peter Hall says the coalition Government has been engaged in productive discussions with Swinburne University and the Shire of Yarra Ranges about the future use of the facilities.
The government will provide the Yarra Ranges council with $100,000 in funding to develop and implement a comprehensive vocational and tertiary education strategy for the site. The grant will enable the council to engage with committed TAFE and higher education providers to have one or more of them relocate to the existing facility. In announcing the funding, Hall said
It is important that the future of the site is planned carefully to deliver both educational and civic benefits to the community. It is crucial that the site be sustainable, relevant and meet the needs of local communities and businesses. We do not need 50 acres of land to provide a world class education.
He pointed out that there are many sites around the state that are used by more than one provider to deliver higher education, vocational and adult education programs and that new technology is also ensuring that education delivery reaches beyond the traditional classroom.
Mayor of Yarra Ranges Council Jim Child said an active TAFE and higher education facility along with civic and community services will benefit the whole community. He said the council’s vision for the site is based on a feasibility study completed early this year by Box Hill Institute that identified limited interest in acquiring the whole site for education.
Child said the study also identified the other opportunities for the site that would benefit the community, including library services, and possibly the location of emergency service agencies, community based organisations and state government department offices.
Work will be completed before the end of the year, with a view to new arrangements being in place for the start of 2014.
See
Lilydale Market Analysis Demand Report
Council plan to “anchor” Lilydale campus
