While Premier Mike Baird is holding the inner city community to ransom with the redevelopment of the Cleveland St school dependent on his wires and poles privatisation, he is also quietly selling off the Bridge St Education Department headquarters, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
(‘$60m high-rise high school for city’, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 Feb, p. 3, http://j.mp/1L1gT3L)
Dr Kaye said: “Mike Baird’s privatisation program gives with one hand and takes away with the other.
“While the Cleveland St development will provide much needed additional high school capacity in the City’s south, the site that could provide for the next increase in student numbers is scheduled for sale to the tourism industry.
“In NSW governments never learn from past mistakes.
“At the very least, the Bridge St site should be kept in public hands to make sure that inner city communities don’t face another education capacity crisis in ten years.
“The Liberal-Nationals’ pea-and-thimble privatisation game will take away public control over the future of the electricity industry and turn the obvious site for the next increase in student numbers into a luxury hotel.
“The Greens congratulate the parents and communities in the Inner City who lobbied so tirelessly and effectively to force the NSW government to act.
“However providing quality public education in Parramatta, Inner Sydney and across NSW should not be dependent on selling public assets.
“Ensuring that the Intensive English Centre is moved to an equally accessible and appropriate location is also essential,” Dr Kaye said.
For more information: John Kaye Media release: 16 February 2015