Education Minister branded ‘disingenuous’ over plans for temporary schools at Marsden Park, Riverstone

The Education Minister has proudly announced plans to build three temporary schools in Sydney’s northwest. Meanwhile, new permanent schools still haven’t been approved by the council.

An aerial view of the site of the temporary primary school in Nirimba Fields.

Education Minister Prue Car has been accused of “boundless hypocrisy” by proudly announcing plans to house nearly 1,000 students in three “temporary” schools while permanent facilities are under construction, despite railing against demountable facilities from opposition.

The plans for Sydney’s sprawling northwest growth area would see a temporary high school for 400 Year 7s and 8s built on an empty patch of grass at Melonba in Marsden Park, a temporary primary school for another 419 kids at Nirimba Fields and another, smaller temporary primary school co-located with the existing Riverstone Public School.

In announcing the developments, Ms Car gave assurances the demountable schools were only a “stopgap measure” for next year before permanent schools are opened in 2025.

However, all the schools in question remain subject to planning approvals, with development applications for the new builds still to be submitted to Blacktown City Council. The only exception is Tallawong Public School, which is to be built at the back of Riverstone’s school oval.

A consultation meeting with the Riverstone PS community about how school resources will be shared will be held next Thursday (June 8).

Aerial view of Riverstone Public School.

Proposed floor plan for a temporary Tallawong public school. Picture: NSW Government

“We wouldn’t have had to deliver a temporary school if the previous government would have actually got their skates on and delivered the high school like they had promised,” Ms Car said.

Riverstone MP Warren Kirby even “congratulated” the government on their decision not to wait for permanent schools to be ready.

An artist's render of the new – permanent – Marsden Park High School, to open in 2025.

Approvals for the new Marsden Park High School haven’t been finalised. Picture: Supplied

“Putting in a temporary school to facilitate the needs of young families immediately while we play catch up … is a fantastic thing for our electorate,” he said.

But Coalition education spokesperson Sarah Mitchell cast doubts on the new government’s ability to turn around the new schools in 18 months without the council’s rubber stamp.

“Labor’s hypocrisy knows no bounds,” she said.

“Whenever we had to put up temporary schools they were very quick to criticise that approach, yet now they’re in government they’re calling it ‘accelerated delivery’.

An artist’s render of the new Tallawong Public School. A temporary school in its name will be co-located with Riverstone Public.

“To start these schools before some of the permanent builds are even past the planning stage is very disingenuous to the local community.

“They will be waiting years for delivery of the permanent infrastructure and I think the Minister needs to be transparent about what this actually is.”

The population explosion in Sydney’s northwest has created an urban planning nightmare, with new suburbs springing up faster than the public services to support them.

Marsden Park’s population alone multiplied by 1350 per cent in five years, increasing from only 1,008 people at the 2016 Census to 14,610 in 2021.

By 2031 it’s expected to be home to 48,450 people, more than 25 per cent of whom will be aged between 5 and 19.

Centre for Western Sydney policy and strategy lead Tom Nance said there’s “an urgent need” for critical infrastructure in Sydney’s growth corridors.

Stopgap schools are “an important first step” he said, but without permanent structures, students will be left in limbo.

“The reality is, if these aren’t prioritised, we’re going to see poor outcomes for the community,” Mr Nance said.

“At the end of the day, if communities don’t have access to basic levels of amenity, they’re not going to thrive,” Mr Nance said.

“There’s frustration from the community that they’re seeing the McDonald’s going up quicker than the school, the hospital, the train line, and people feel they’ve been sold short, because they’ve assumed that essential infrastructure would already been in place.”