By Jolene Ogle
SINCE closing two and a half years ago, the former Noosa TAFE site has cost taxpayers a staggering $170,080 as it sits dormant, wasting away.
In documents shown to Noosa Today, Noosa MP Glen Elmes asked the Attorney-General and Minister for Training and Skills Yvette D’Ath for all operating costs of the former TAFE site from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.
The bill for the year was $68,032 and includes council rates of $12,854, electricity charges of $4248, Unitywater charges of $323, maintenance and gardening costs of $32,015 and an $18,592 security bill for the year. The TAFE has now been closed for two and a half years.
“This is the cost to run a TAFE that doesn’t exist,” Mr Elmes said.
Mr Elmes said he understood the Labor Government wanted to hold a review into TAFE, but said the community had been waiting long enough.
“I keep saying to them, have a review into TAFE, but this isn’t a TAFE anymore. It’s a group of empty buildings so deal with it separately. They’re now two years into their term and that thing is still sitting there like that, deteriorating,” he said.
“It’s going to cost many, many tens of thousands of dollars to bring that facility to some sort of position to be leased, rented or sold. They’ve got to do one of three things; sell, rent or lease. They’re not going to open another TAFE college here. TAFE told me that.”
Mr Elmes said the LNP party were often criticised for closing the site, but it was closed because “no-one was using it”.
“If someone thought it was a great educational facility, well they’ve had two years to re-open it and they haven’t done it. It just sits there,” he said.
