Clarence Nationals MP Richie Williamson has called on the NSW Labor Government to intervene, saying families in the lower Richmond Valley have waited long enough for the flood-damaged Broadwater Public School to be rebuilt.
Mr Williamson said it’s been two years since the devastating 2022 floods, and the bureaucracy continues to fumble this simple but vital project.
As a result, he’s contacted Education Minister Prue Car and asked her to intervene.
“The project could be completed in just eight weeks because it’s a prefabricated build that I’m told is almost finished, but School Infrastructure NSW has instead lodged a development application with Richmond Valley Council, a step that is not required for crucial NSW public infrastructure,” Mr Williamson said.
Mr Williamson said schools, hospitals, ambulance stations, police stations are entirely exempt from local government development application approval processes.
“I have asked the government to override the bureaucracy and withdraw the DA from Council and get cracking on the rebuild so we can get our kids back to their school,” Mr Williamson said.
“Lower Richmond Valley parents, community, teachers and most importantly the students are ready to return to their own classrooms, and I want to see that happen as a matter of urgency.
“I encourage parents who support this initiative to email me at clarence@parliament.nsw.ogv.au so I can stress the importance of this issue to the Minister in Sydney,” Mr Williamson said.
Broadwater Public P & C Association Secretary, Emma Crethar, said the current abandoned and overgrown school ground is the first thing you see as you enter town and serves as a constant reminder of the devastation caused by the February 2022 floods.
“We were told at the first community consultation meeting that the maximum time we’d be out of our school would be two years,” Ms Crethar said.
“We are now at the second anniversary of the floods and still have no government approvals in place or a firm commencement date. It’s a real slap in the face.
“We are now prioritising our children’s wellbeing and education and pushing for the rebuild of Broadwater Public School to commence as soon as possible.
“Any bureaucracy that’s hindering the process needs to be addressed immediately as our kids have suffered long enough.”
