BY Michael Newhouse
NEW mental health facilities in Deer Park and a new primary-middle school for Caroline Springs are the main benefits for Brimbank in last week’s State Budget.
Honouring promises made during last year’s state election campaign, last Tuesday’s budget allocated money for 20 new mental health beds at the former Burnside St Nursing Home, as part of $9.6 million set aside for mental health.
The 20 prevention and recovery (PARC) beds are expected to be open later this year. They are for patients requiring more intensive treatment, with the average stay ranging from between two and four weeks.
Patients are then moved back to their homes with support from community mental health teams.
A spokesman for Minister for Mental Health, Lisa Neville, said the facility would provide support for those who didn’t require hospital treatment.
An estimated 500 people would use the 20 beds in a year.
Labor has also allocated $50 million to build five new schools and redevelop two, including building the promised Caroline Springs North school, which will cater for students from prep up to Year 9.
The new school, which will service the growing pocket of Caroline Springs north of Taylors Rd, has been earmarked for Gourlay Rd, near Hume Drive.
One of Labor’s other election promises – a new primary school for Derrimut – wasn’t funded in last week’s budget.
The lack of public transport funding across Brimbank and the Shire of Melton also angered some people in the West.
Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland said she was frustrated there was no mention of, or money for, an electrified rail extension to Melton and a station at Caroline Springs, which runs through the heart of Melbourne’s Western growth corridor.
“People want to use trains, they want to reduce global warming, they can’t afford to keep buying cars and paying road taxes,” Ms Hartland said last week.
A government spokesman said there were no plans for electrification between Watergardens and Melton but that new bus services had just been added to service commuters between Caroline Springs and Watergardens.
