Greens MP for Maiwar Michael Berkman has responded to the State Government’s agreement to extend consultation on the site of a new school in his electorate.
“This is a huge win for my community - we’ve been asking for months now that the consultation be reopened, additional information released and alternative sites considered.
“After my office helped mobilise almost 1,000 submissions on the proposal, I’m so pleased the Department has listened.
“This feels like an acknowledgement that my community is powerful and they deserve to be heard.
“Based on locals’ feedback, I told the Department a few months ago that I’d rather we do this right than just do it quickly, so I support pushing the opening date back by one year.
“However, it’ll mean schools facing severe overcrowding, like Toowong, Ironside and ISS, will need urgent stop-gap measures until then, and I look forward to working with the Department on those.
“I’ll need to speak more with my constituents before I take a firm position on the Toowong Bowlo site, but from my consultation so far this is a popular option as long as it doesn’t compromise green space and adequately addresses traffic and flooding concerns.
“From my engagement with the local community, it's clear to me that most residents want to see the Government acquire land for the new school, rather than putting it on existing school sites like ISHS or QASMT.
“I’m looking forward to seeing allocation in the upcoming State Budget to acquire new land for this school and have already written to the Treasurer requesting this.”