Highton Library
Darren CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (10:08): In the heart of my electorate is the iconic Highton Village, and the jewel of the Highton Village is the Highton Library, which has served that community for nearly 50 years since 1977. Sadly, the City of Greater Geelong, for the third time now in the last six years, have attempted to close that library. On two occasions now the community has stood up to defend the Highton Library, a much-loved library serving this community. The third attempt has been orchestrated through massive cuts in the City of Greater Geelong’s draft budget, which was handed down only a number of weeks ago. That draft budget is seeing the Geelong Library Corporation receive a $1 million cut, and the Geelong Library Corporation’s response to that circumstance, sadly, is to close three libraries: one in Highton, one in Barwon Heads and one in Geelong West. On this occasion each of those communities are standing up and they are demanding that the City of Greater Geelong restore that funding to those libraries.