We are following through on the promise to Box Hill

The Minns Labor government is going to fulfil the commitments made to Western Sydney for the infrastructure it so desperately needs.

When the concerning discovery of contaminated mulch was made at Liverpool West Public School earlier this year, local families had every right to be frustrated.

But the school community didn’t respond to the news with anger. Instead, they came together and bought dinner for the labourers working around the clock at the site, so their children could get back to their wonderful school as soon as possible.

To me, this encapsulates the story of Western Sydney and the heart of our diverse, hardworking and generous communities.

Some of these families have come from parts of the world where education is not a universal right and children are denied opportunities to learn. So there is nothing more valuable than a high quality, public education.

Educational aspiration is at the heart of the migrant experience. It’s what led my own grandparents to leave India for the opportunities promised here.

Thousands of homes have been built in Box Hill but not one school. Picture: Damian Shaw

It’s what has driven recent growth in Western Sydney. So many families moved into these communities – took out mortgages, built their homes and sometimes cut back on the basics – expecting promised schools would be built. But they never appeared.

In Jordan Springs, Marsden Park, Gledswood Hills, Gregory Hills, Schofields, Tallawong, Box Hill and Gables, housing was approved but schools did not follow.

Western Sydney suffered the most from the former government’s failure to provide new and upgraded schools across the state, as demountables multiplied.

People feel let down. And it’s one of the reasons why our government is focused on getting the basics right for Sydney’s west.

Deputy Premier Prue Car inspecting works at another school construction site in Western Sydney.

Earlier this year we released the NSW enrolment growth audit, which we undertook to learn from our predecessors’ mistakes and ensure we don’t repeat them.

The audit showed that the 10 areas experiencing the highest student growth are all in Western Sydney.

Combined, these areas saw student populations grow by more than 240 per cent in just five years.

The growth didn’t just outstrip the former Liberal National government’s projections, it left them for dead.

Back in 2016 they predicted it would take 25 years to reach the student enrolment numbers we already hit last year.

One of those suburbs simply forgotten by the former government was Box Hill.

This community was promised a new school back in 2018. Five years later, with growth taking off like Topsy, the promised school was still no more than a promise.

Meanwhile, Box Hill grew so rapidly that the northern part of the suburb got its own name – Gables – in 2020. But still, no school.

The young families in Box Hill and Gables deserve better.

Under the Minns Labor Government, planning approvals are underway for a long overdue public school for this community.

I’ll admit, in 2024 this community should have more. That’s why we are acting on the findings of the enrolment growth audit, and improving how we respond to growth.

As Western Sydney powers ahead – with the new Western Sydney airport and metros connecting to employment hubs – we cannot leave communities behind.

There are still many pockets of disadvantage throughout Western Sydney, where poor access to services can lead to a belief that university, TAFE or even a skilled job are opportunities only afforded to others.

We know that preschool can change the trajectory of young lives, with benefits of early learning extending well into adulthood.

It is a cruel irony that while children from disadvantaged backgrounds are most likely to benefit from high quality early education, they are among the least able to access it.

It’s why we’re also building 100 new public preschools – the biggest expansion in the history of our state.

The sites were chosen through a rigorous process with independent oversight, in areas where they are needed most. Tellingly, 49 will be built in Western Sydney.

We made an ambitious commitment to open all 100 new public preschools by 2027. We’re reforming the planning system to deliver this critical infrastructure more quickly.

Planning reforms announced today will mean we can shave an average of eight months off the planning approval process.

It will also save money and provide certainty for construction timelines.

And it will mean that when families in places like Liverpool ask “when will my preschool be built?”, this government can say, hand on heart: As quickly as we possibly can.

– Prue Car is Deputy Premier of NSW.