Geelong Regional Library Corporation hears from community ahead of 2023-24 budget

Residents have made an impassioned plea to the Geelong Regional Library Corporation to “fight” for their services and abandon plans to reduce hours at a special meeting.

Geelong West mum Kristen with kids Hailey, 9, and Parker, 3, at a Geelong West library rally.

Residents have made an impassioned plea to the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) to “fight” for their services and abandon plans to reduce hours as a result of a funding shortfall from City Hall.

The reduced operating hours of several libraries were proposed after the GRLC, which runs the libraries, was told it would not receive $762,000 of funding from the City of Greater Geelong to operate the newly opened Boronggook Drysdale Library.

The GRLC received 143 community submissions for its draft 2023-24 budget at a special meeting on Thursday night, with the board hearing directly from eight people.

Save Highton Library campaigner, Anne McMahon, slammed council’s “incompetent” cuts as “just crazy” and “shocking”.

A recent rally at the Geelong West library, opposing the cuts.

“CoGG’s fiscal mismanagement is not the fault of the Geelong community,” she said.

“Why would you create buildings and then not provide the services?”

Karen Firth, from the Barwon Heads Community Library, said the facilities were “like a second home to us and to many” and urged the GRLC to fight for them.

“They should be a basic essential service untouched from politics and government,” she said.

Mandy Bridges, from the Friends of the Barwon Heads Community Library, claimed CoGG’s “lack of collaboration and co-operation” with the GRLC had “left us shocked.”

Surf Coast Shire Mayor Liz Pattison is a GRLC board member and chaired the meeting. Picture: Supplied.

Portarlington‘s Dr Anne Whisken wanted a long-term commitment for Geelong libraries “of 10-15 years” so the community “don’t have to keep coming out and fighting for our libraries”.

She also criticised the GRLC for being “too focused on the centre and not enough on the regions” in reference to inadequate services in Portarlington, Indented Heads and St Leonards.

Surf Coast Shire Mayor and GRLC board member Liz Pattison said the corporation would consider the community submissions before adopting the final budget at a board meeting on June 29.

Originally published as Geelong Regional Library Corporation hears from community ahead of 2023-24 budget