MPs pressure Geelong council over library closures

Victorian state and federal MPs continue to pressure the City of Greater Geelong over its decision to close three libraries across the city, reports the Geelong Advertiser.

State Labor MP Lisa Neville has met with Geelong’s administrators to urge them to reconsider the planned closure of Barwon Heads library in September, as well as calling on the administrators in state parliament to ‘acknowledge that they have got this wrong and to agree to continue to open this library and to involve the community in its ongoing future’.

Neville will be join by Federal Liberal MP Sarah Henderson at a public rally at the Barwon Heads library on 18 June, which has been organised by the newly formed Save Barwon Heads Community Library group.

Geelong council has received three petitions with signatures from more than 6000 residents opposing the closures. 

The issue of library closures will also be a topic of discussion when Geelong’s administrators hold a community meeting on 21 June.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, Geelong council announced it would close libraries in Chilwell, Highton and Barwon Heads by the end of June, which has since been extended until the end of September.

Category: Library news