A PROPOSAL to lease Glenormiston College for dairy industry training by a consortium with Chinese links was not aimed at using international workers instead of Australians, a consortium spokesman says.
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Linear Capital managing director Troy Harper said the plan was to use the college to train Chinese and local people in best-practice animal husbandry.
“It will not be international workers versus national workers,” Mr Harper said.
“The Chinese are very interested in our animal husbandry.
“We are some of the best in the world at it. The Chinese are not that good at it.
“The Chinese are coming to learn from us.” Mr Harper said the plan also involved the training of local workers because, although Australia had exemplary dairy industry practice, “You have some great operators and some not-so-great operators, but there is nothing gluing the whole lot together.
“You cannot have a productive dairy industry without training,” Mr Harper said.
“We will foot the bill for it.”
Corangamite mayor Chris O’Connor confirmed there had been interest in leasing Glenormiston College but he was not able to say from whom.
“Nothing has happened at this stage,” Cr O’Connor said.
He said there was “a lot of talk” that those interested in using the college also wanted to buy a number of south-west dairy farms, but no farms had yet been purchased.
Member for Western Victoria Simon Ramsay, who has been active in efforts to find a new role for the vacant college, said he was aware a consortium had written to state education minister Martin Dixon saying it had a potential expression of interest in using the college.
He said he had asked for discussions with Mr Dixon and the state Higher Education and Skills Minister Nick Wakeling to discussion the consortium’s enquiry.