V Is For Vague, Valuer-General And Very Mysterious Deals
The Victorian Government’s extraordinary cover up of the sale of Glenormiston College is continuing.
Questions in the State Parliament to the Minister for Higher Education illicited hyperbole and obfuscation but no answers. A supplementary question requiring production of the Valuer General’s valuation has still provided scant detail on the $4.65 million sale to Dean Montgomery.
Yet even this was presented after the deadline demanded by the Legislative Council President.
Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, had questioned why the sale price was so low, given nearby smaller properties - with fewer assets - had sold for more than three times the Glenormiston price.
“We now have a response to my question, and it is a complete non-answer,” Mrs McArthur said.
“Minister Tierney has simply re-stated the Valuer-General Victoria’s valuation, the $4.65 million sale price.
“She does not in any way describe how it is that that figure was achieved.
“Minister Tierney has declined my request to release the VG’s report. Why would she? What would she be hiding, or protecting by keeping it a mystery?
“If she is so absolutely sure of herself and the rigour of the sales process – surely she would want this document to be open and accessible to everyone?” she asked.
“This is, after all, not an ongoing and sensitive contract, but rather the sale by the state of a public asset. There is no excuse for not providing complete transparency.”
Minister Tierney’s response said `The valuation reflects the restricted use of the site associated with (i) the section 173 agreement and (ii) the lease arrangement with South West TAFE.’
That ‘restricted-use’ is intended to be for education.
“And yet, no one can tell you what education has been delivered on site since the lease and sale arrangement was established in 2016,” Mrs McArthur said.
Along with Member for Polwarth, I have visited the facility and it is anything but the vibrant educational offering suggested by the Minister in recent comment. In fact, we learnt that given the ‘not fit for purpose’ issues with the buildings, what few classes are being conducted, are being held at the nearby Noorat football ground.
“The Section 173 Agreement she refers to identifies that the Education Site comprises at least `10 per cent of the Subject Land’: that leaves a lot of land for non-education purposes.
“It also uses the interesting legal terminology of `The Owner will use best endeavours…’ to deliver `Education Services’.
“That is code for make it look like you’re trying but we know it won’t happen.
“The Section 173 also appears to allow for South West TAFE to sell parcels of the ‘Agricultural Land’.
“And even the public’s access to the incredible Prenzel wood carvings being available ‘on at least one weekend each year’.
“Of course, all of these deals are only in place until October 2027 – then all bets are off. And in any case Mr Montgomery doesn’t have to pay a penny til 2024. In the meantime the taxpayer, via this Government are contributing $2m for site upgrades. The property gets cheaper by the day.
“All in all, this section 173 agreement raises more questions about the sale price and process than it answers.”
“The Minister must do better.
“Gayle Tierney must release the Valuer-General’s report to the public.
“This is tax-payers money, not hers.
“It’s a bedevilled deal no matter which way you look at it – as an agriculture student, as a local wanting the best for the region, as a taxpayer whose money has just been trashed, an historian, or an investor unable to be part of the sales process that has delivered a windfall to Mr Montgomery,” Mrs McArthur said.
30 June 2021