The council passed a motion at its September meeting to approve a list of advocacy priorities.

A total of $15 million is needed to complete stage two of the education precinct, which includes Warracknabeal Secondary College, Warracknabeal Primary School and Warracknabeal Special Development School.

The college received $4 million in the 2016-17 state government budget and the special development school received $2 million. However, the project missed out in the 2018-19 state government budget allocations for stage two funding.

Related: Warracknabeal's education precinct plans could come to a pause

Warracknabeal Secondary School Council president and Yarriambiack councillor Kylie Zanker said the project had been an ongoing saga.

“We’re hoping that this will be the year something is done about it. It’s so frustrating for our students and teachers to have two split campuses,” she said.

“It’s not practical and we’re at a disadvantage. It’s a huge minefield because we’re having to decided which classes get to use which facilities, and how they will get between the campuses safely. It takes away from their core focus of teaching and learning.

“Without that funding coming through, we really feel like we’ve been forgotten.”

Cr Zanker said she hoped whichever government was in power after the election provided funding to complete the project.

“I really want to feel confident that in our rural areas we aren’t forgotten, but it definitely does feel that way at times,” she said.

“I would like to think that they know this is a priority push from our whole region and that they listen to that.

“The while list of priorities is great and I am really proud of what we have been able to come up with, but obviously we have to pinpoint what is the most urgent priority, and unfortunately that ends up being the school precinct.”

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy tabled a petition to Parliament in September with over 300 local signatures in support of the Warracknabeal Education Precinct project.

“Emma has been fantastic; she has been communicating with me through the council and the school council and has been very supportive,” Ms Zanker said.

“She is definitely aware of the shortcomings and how it’s affecting our schooling here.”

Mayor Graeme Massey said funding for the precinct was a major concern for the council.

“It’s against our instinct, as people who are representing our residents, to have a project suddenly run to a dead end because the government is refusing to commit to stage two,” he said.

“We’re not asking for much; we’re just asking for the $15 million that it will take to finish the project. If you make a commitment to start a project, you need to see it through to its competition. It’s so disappointing for people; everyone was excited for it.”

Another major priority for the council is asking for $300,000 to expand the West Wimmera Mental Health Rural Outreach trial to the Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack shires.

“We want commitment to funding the Rural Outreach mental health program; it would need to be reoccurring funding so it doesn’t fall back on the councils to fund it after one year,” Cr Massey said.

“It’s a commitment to support everyone, not just mental health but family violence as well.

“Speaking as someone who lives in northwest Victoria, I think we owe it to the community to have these services that are just as good as the ones they have in Melbourne. We battle to get it and I think we should be entitled to it.”

In the north of the shire, the council is asking for $70,000 to fund the Hopetoun Neighbourhood House redevelopment project.

“They want to move closer into town. We’re working with the Neighbourhood House to come to a funding arrangement where the local community can buy the old Country Fire Authority building so it remains in the community’s hands,” he said.​