Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll turned the first sod for the new state-of-the-art $73m Shepparton Law Courts on the corner of High and Wyndham Streets.
Building work is expected to begin on the modern multi-jurisdictional court facility later this month with construction likely to be completed by the end of 2017.
The court precinct redevelopment was one of the key projects in the Make Shepparton Greater campaign which was run before the last state election. The project is a significant boost for Shepparton providing jobs for local tradespeople over the course of the build.
When completed the five story building will include six courtrooms - two of which can accommodate juries. It will also incorporate family violence facilities and services, including a remote witness suite, discrete meeting rooms with direct courtroom access and a child and family friendly waiting room.
Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert visited GOTAFE’s Shepparton campus to announce the Community Service funding, which is part of the Labor Government’s $320 million TAFE Rescue Fund.
The $5.3 million boost will support vulnerable students and is a boost for vital programs that support disadvantaged Shepparton locals to access training and support, including its Literacy and Numeracy support program.
With this extra funding, GOTAFE expects the program to be expanded from helping just 150 students in 2015 to around 4000 students.
Mr Herbert also opened Shepparton’s Skills and Jobs Centre which will be the first point-of-call for employers looking to take on an apprentice, students looking to start training, workers needing to reskill and unemployed workers needing support to re-enter the workforce.
The Centre is one of 20 around the state, funded from $16 million from the Labor Government.
