Rees govt developing plans to target public school land

Dr Kaye said: “The NSW government is planning to steal from the kids to prop up its budget bottom line.

“They are already literally selling the farm to pay the bills.

“The loss of land at schools like Hurlstone Agricultural High School is irreversible. Once it has been subdivided, it can never be recovered for public education.

“Now the NSW Department of Education has been caught developing land grab plans to target every public school.

“High schools land over 6 hectare and primary schools over 3 hectares are to be ‘deemed to be surplus’.

“Parents, teachers and principals are not to be consulted about the future of education at their school. Departmental bureaucrats will be in charge of deciding what land is sold.

“This is the worst kind of double standards.

“The Rees government is comfortable with an elite private school like Kings in Parramatta sitting on more than 40 hectares. They give it $1.4 million a year in subsidies. However, more than 6 hectares at a public school is ‘surplus’.

“A separate memo sent late last year by Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter to all principals is an admission of guilt to the charge of economic vandalism.

“The on-going costs of police and nurses is now to be funded from selling capital assets like schools. Sooner or later the money will run out.

“Education Minister Verity Firth needs to answer the key question: where does she think the children of the future will be educated.

“The Minister must put an end to a land grab that would impoverish the future of public education,” Dr Kaye said.

For more information:    John Kaye 0407 195 455