INDEPENDENT candidate for Coffs Harbour, Dr Sally Townley, has met with local families in Moonee Beach to hear their concerns about the elusive Moonee School which has never been built, despite the Department of Education owning a site for the proposed school for many years.

The parents met with Sally on Tuesday morning 14 February, on the proposed school site.

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“The Department of Education has owned this land for many years,” said Dr Townley.

“A new school at Moonee has been a sort of mythical creature for decades.

“It’s been talked about, but never seen.”

“We are seeing primary schools on the Northern Beaches bulging at the seams.

“We have huge housing developments underway.

“Moonee will see a population increase of a couple of thousand new people in the near future.

“The department needs to place this new school firmly on the list for delivery, servicing Kindergarten to Year 12 and start the planning work immediately,” she urged.

Dr Townley said the government has produced guidelines such as the North Coast Regional Plan which outlines planning responses to growing populations, but there is no mention of education and where all these new children will go to school.

“The various arms of government are not speaking to each other.

“Growth areas are expected to be well-located and well-planned but there is no commitment for the provision of schools.”

Children in the new Moonee residential area will be within the catchment for Kororo Public School which already uses several demountable buildings.

“The case for the new school at Moonee has been clear for many years.

“It’s becoming critical that the government kick starts this project immediately.”

Dr Townley said if she is elected as the Member for Coffs Harbour in March she will do everything in her power to get this school on the list.

She said the development of new schools should be determined by need and the criteria should be clear.

She said that a report released by the Audit Office of NSW last year found that long-range planning by School Infrastructure NSW was lacking.*

“Having suitable public schools for our children is fundamental for our communities.

“Investment in school infrastructure needs to keep pace with population growth and it’s astounding that this land has sat vacant for years while the surrounding suburbs are growing daily,” she said.

Finding there are many local families who have been advocating for a new school for years, whose calls have fallen on deaf ears, Dr Townley has committed to help them continue their quest “for this important piece of infrastructure”.

View the school infrastructure audit at www.audit.nsw.gov.au/our-work/reports/delivering-school-infrastructure.

By Andrea FERRARI