Another day, another reannouncement from the Perrottet Government – this time, a primary and high school in Westmead, originally promised back in 2018.
It joins a long list of schools the Liberals promised four years ago but failed to deliver, including a new high school in Edmondson Park, a new primary school in Gregory Hills, and K-12 schools for Macquarie Park and Rydalmere.
The latest NSW budget shows that the Perrottet Government under-delivered on 113 school infrastructure projects – spending $1.26 billion less than was promised in the 2021-22 budget, including on a new primary school in Tallawong, and upgrades for schools in Randwick, Carlingford and Picnic Point.
Meanwhile, eight of the 10 biggest enrolment surges are in Greater Western Sydney schools, including in Riverstone, Camden, Macquarie Fields, Penrith and Castle Hill.
And nine of the 10 biggest schools over their enrolment cap are also in Greater Western Sydney, including in Londonderry, Ryde, Parramatta, Prospect, Castle Hill, Seven Hills and Riverstone.
Today’s Perrottet Government policy-reheat comes a day after it re-announced syllabus changes for the 20th time in four years.
It comes a week after it was revealed the teacher shortage has tripled over the past 12 years under the Liberals and Nationals, while a multimillion dollar overseas teacher recruitment strategy only yielded three new teachers.
After 12 years of this Liberal government, we are facing a chronic shortage of teachers in Western Sydney and school infrastructure that was promised but never delivered.
Another four years will mean more of the same.
It’s time for a fresh start for our education system in New South Wales.
NSW Labor has begun to outline a comprehensive plan to fix the long term problems in our education system, reverse the decline in student outcomes and to make a teaching career in New South Wales more attractive by:
- Cutting 5 hours of admin work per week so teachers spend more time in the clasroom;
- Converting 10,000 existing casual teachers to permanent to give them the security of job they are asking for to stay in teaching;
- Creating better teacher pathways to ensure our graduates end up in New South Wales schools;
- Banning the use of mobile phones in schools to reduce distraction and improve education outcomes; and
- Removing the Perrottet Government’s wages cap to make the profession competitive again.
Quotes attributable to Prue Car, NSW Shadow Minister for Education:
“If they haven’t delivered the planned Westmead schools in the last four years, why would anyone believe they would deliver them in the next four?
“Parents and families have planned their lives around the Liberals’ promised schools, but they have been left high and dry.
“This is a clear sign that the Perrottet Government has run out of ideas, and that their best days are behind them.
“Not only are the Liberals failing to build the schools Western Sydney needs, they’re failing to recruit the teachers we need to staff them.”
