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New school for the west side

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What's happened so far

After years of campaigning, in July 2020 we finally received a commitment from the State government for a new primary school in the inner west. The school will include general learning areas, specialist spaces, multimedia spaces, special education facilities and outdoor learning areas. While the initial proposed opening date was in 2023, this has now been delayed as a site hasn’t yet been identified for the school.

In its initial survey from January 2021, the Department proposed building a new primary school on the site of Indooroopilly State High School, at Ward St and Canarvon St. Many residents felt the initial consultation was very limited and not sufficient, so I took this to the Department and Minister and asked them to do more to find the best possible site. The Department then opened consultation considering both the Indooroopilly State High School site and a second proposed location at the former Toowong Bowls Club on Gailey Rd. In December 2021, the State Government announced that the new school location would be the former Toowong Bowls Club site. I was actively involved in this consultation, communicated with hundreds of residents via email, and represented the community on a number of issues during this process. You can find out more about this here.

In August 2022, the Minister advised that the Government was reconsidering the Bowls Club location,  due to both the concerns our community has raised about the Toowong Bowlo site (including flooding, traffic, and impacts on green space and the federally protected flying fox colony) and the fact that the enrolment pressures that underpinned the business case for this urgent proposal have eased. It’s frustrating that the proposed January 2024 opening date will be delayed but I'm glad we have an opportunity to select a better location.

In October 2023 the State Government opened registrations of interest to identify options for the new school, including from developers and investors willing to work with the Government to provide land, help deliver new infrastructure or repurpose existing facilities. Registrations via QTender closed on 27 November 2023.

I'm sceptical of what sounds like a potential public-private partnership to deliver a state school. Public education should be the work of government, not tied up in private, particularly profit-making enterprise. Having said that, I really want to see progress on the new school, so I'm glad to hear the Government is still committed to delivering this project, and am continuing to work with them to ensure the process is transparent, consultative and delivers an outcome with strong community support. 

My position

I’ve been clear from the outset that neither the Toowong site nor ISHS were appropriate and the Department should’ve commenced planning and found a suitable site much earlier. I’ve also made it absolutely clear that we still need a new school in the inner west in the very near future. Ideally, I’m pushing for a site near to where Taringa State School was (before being sold off in 1997), that’s close to the train station and other public transport links.

In my view, the Government should acquire private land, rather than repurposing existing public space.

I’ve discussed a few options with the department, including a smaller school at the Tricare site, a site next to the Taringa train station that could incorporate much-needed accessibility upgrades, or the former Woolies site in Toowong. If you have an idea for a new school site that’s big enough to allow buildings and play space, close to public transport, and doesn’t result in a loss of public green space, let me know via email at [email protected].

You can always also directly email the project team with any questions or concerns at [email protected].

Why we need a new school

Since before I was elected, I've been hearing from locals that we desperately need a new school to properly address overcrowding. Classrooms are full, pool and library time is limited, before and after school care services have long wait lists and demountable classrooms are being erected on school ovals, encroaching on students’ play area. The west side is growing rapidly, and we need long-term planning and infrastructure to keep up with development and densification. Even though the pressure on schools is easing slightly due to slower migration in the pandemic, the need for a new school is undeniable.

New school quick links: