By JESSE GRAHAM
THE GOVERNMENT will be stepping in to help find a future for Lilydale’s former Swinburne site, after a callout for a new provider proved fruitless.
Swinburne University of Technology announced on Friday 11 July that none of the submissions received through its Expression of Interest (EoI) process were suitable for the site.
The university called for submissions domestically and internationally from 26 February to 10 April for potential buyers or lessees for the former campus.
After assessing each submission on the criteria of whether it was committed to continuing education at the site and keeping its education zoning, Swinburne came up with no results.
“ … It was concluded that none of the submissions was capable of acceptance as they did not meet the overall evaluation criteria,” a Swinburne representative said.
Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe said the decision was commercial, but that the government would now step in to help determine the site’s future.
“The Coalition Government will now work with Swinburne University to assess options for the Lilydale site,” she said.
The campus has been the centre of many debates and discussions since it was announced the doors would close, with a group quickly forming to protest the decision.
Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews recently announced that, if Labor won November’s state election, it would re-open the campus for higher education by any means necessary.
This included compulsorily re-acquiring the campus from any buyers, if the land was sold off before the election.
Ms Fyffe criticised the announcement, however, and said it would have been a disincentive for anyone expressing interest in the site.
