NSW Labor has reaffirmed its commitment to public education on the North Coast, by committing to keep local public schools open, in stark contrast to the Nationals and Liberals’ school closures.
NSW Labor will keep Murwillumbah East Public School, Wollumbin High School, Murwillumbah Public School and Murwillumbah High School open for the community into the future.
The Nationals and Liberals have refused to halt their forced
school closures, which were hatched in secret without consultation with the
local community.
The forced closure of Murwillumbah East Public School would also break a key
election promise the Nationals and Liberals made to upgrade the school.
NSW
Labor has been strongly opposed to the NSW Government’s forced closures of
public schools in Murwillumbah without community consultation and against the
wishes of the community.
Ms Saffin said: “The days when Ministers, as NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell did, can appear for two minutes in a town and announce school closures, are long gone.
“This has been wrong from the very start and despite undertakings from the Minister to do certain things, not one has happened,” Ms Saffin said.
Ms Saffin said there had been four broken promises related to the NSW Government’s proposed mega school campus at Murwillumbah High, including:
- No job losses, but subsequent confirmation that 24 jobs will go – 20 teaching and four support staff.
- Reneging on including an upgraded performing arts facility in the mega campus.
- No research provided to the community to explain the educational benefits of a mega campus.
- No restoration of buildings at Murwillumbah East Public School destroyed or severely damaged by the post-Cyclone Debbie floods in 2017.
Ms Car said: “These forced school closures were approved by the
Liberals and Nationals in secret, with no community consultation. It’s just not
right.”
“The Nationals simply cannot be trusted. Any vote for the Nationals now is a
vote to close beloved public schools on the North Coast.
“Local public schools are community assets and shouldn’t be closed down by the
Nationals and their Liberal mates,” Ms Car said.
16 November 2021
