Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton has used his speech in reply to the Budget to once again put the Gwydir Learning Region on the Federal Government’s radar.
Speaking in the house recently, Mr. Coulton used the opportunity to outline the importance of the GLR for his local community, and his hopes that similar community based education initiatives will be funded by the Government’s Education Investment Fund.
“I welcome the announcement of the $11 billion Education Investment Fund,” Mr Coulton said. “Through this Fund, I would like to see the implementation of a thorough community based learning program, similar to the Gwydir Learning Region that operates in my electorate.
“My involvement with the Gwydir Learning Region opened my eyes to how a community changes when it values education. The provision of educational opportunities that are relevant for individual communities must be a priority for this fund.
Mr Coulton also raised health projects, volunteer grants, pre-school funding and supported accommodation for the disabled during the speech.
Despite his overall disappointment with the budget, Mr Coulton concluded by saying that he will continue to push for funding for his electorate. “I will be fighting tooth and nail to ensure that every possible project in my electorate receives every possible dollar of funding that we can access. Despite not having much to draw from, I will not see the good people of the Parkes electorate go without,” he concluded.
Compliments of The Bingara Advocate
