Mark Speakman
Shadow Minister for Education
Stephanie Di Pasqua
Member for Drummoyne
The NSW Liberals and Nationals welcome today’s announcement that a new public primary school will finally be delivered for families in Rhodes.
The school is long overdue. It was identified, planned and budgeted for by the former NSW Liberal and Nationals Government before 2023. Labor’s claim that there was no plan or commitment is simply wrong.
Instead of rewriting history, the Minns Labor Government should explain why it has allowed the project to stall for three years.
It was only after the Member for Drummoyne, Stephanie Di Pasqua, put the Government on notice in Parliament earlier this year that the Department of Education began to act. Until we raised the issue, the Department had not updated the Rhodes East Public School webpage since 2023.
The school is also necessary because Labor has approved thousands more homes in Rhodes than were proposed under previous master plans, without proper community consultation. More development must be matched by the schools, transport and community infrastructure residents need.
This school is welcome, but it is only one part of the infrastructure required to support a growing Rhodes.
Labor has removed the Rhodes Ferry Wharf from its infrastructure priorities and failed to commit to upgrading Rhodes Station, where overcrowded platforms are already a daily problem during peak periods.
The Government must also be upfront about its plans for Rhodes East. Does it intend to lift the current cap of 4,200 homes? If so, by how many? Why has the community not been consulted?
Labor cannot continue approving more dwellings while failing to deliver the infrastructure needed to support them. Communities deserve to be consulted before decisions are made, not informed after the fact.
The real credit belongs to the local parents, residents and community groups who have spent years campaigning for this school. Their advocacy ensured the project remained on the agenda and will now finally be delivered.
