The Victorian government's promised budget spending blitz has taken in North-East Victoria with major investment in education and health infrastructure including Wodonga Middle Years College and Wangaratta hospital sharing in almost a combined $20 million.
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More than $11 million has been allocated to rebuild the college's Huon campus which was originally Wodonga Tech School and Wangaratta hospital's maternity section will be refurbished and expanded as part of a $7.6 million investment.
College principal Vern Hilditch said the funding had come earlier than expected after only recently receiving $1.2 million for planning works on the project a month ago.
"We were told if we work really hard you might get the money in the 2021-22 budget," he said.
"I'm staggered to be honest, they must be really keen to get it out there.
"It's in pretty bad nick and that is only because it was built in the 1960s.
"Buildings like that were built to last 30 years so it is at least 20 years outside its use-by date."
IN OTHER NEWS
Other school funding announced in the budget includes $9.43 million for Myrtleford P-12 College, $7.73 million for Beechworth Primary School and $1.45 million for Falls Creek Primary School.
There will also be a Benalla campus of the Wangaratta District Specialist School built.
Wodonga will also share in $21 million for an expansion of the Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement (HOPE) service.
The upgrades at Wangaratta hospital also includes installing other critical infrastructure, like essential clinical systems, generators and electrical upgrades.
The North-East will be one of the sites included in a $1.6 billion investment in clean energy with the creation of six new renewable energy zones.
The new funding announcements come on top of the revelation $30 million will be spent in Wodonga and another $20 million as part of the government's earlier announcement of a $5.3 billion public housing plan.
"A job is worth more than just a pay cheque," Premier Daniel Andrews said.
"It's why the heart of this budget is dedicated to creating new jobs and getting people in the North-East back into work."
"This pandemic reached every corner of our state.
"Our recovery needs to do the same."