NSW Government to cancel $30m school Covid cleaning contract

The state government is still forking out tens of millions of dollars for specialist Covid cleaning, despite the World Health Organisation having declared an end to the health emergency. Find out more.

It will cost an extra $35m to Covid-clean NSW classrooms in term 2.

A school Covid cleaning program costing the state government more than $30m a term and labelled “questionable” by a disease expert has been scrapped after it was raised by The Daily Telegraph.

When asked by this publication on Wednesday, NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car said she had now asked the department to “discontinue the enhanced cleaning service from next term”.

“NSW schools have a comprehensive cleaning service in place – when budgets are tight this is money that could be better spent elsewhere,” she said.

Despite the World Health Organisation declaring the emergency over and restrictions finishing, the government had been forking out $64.9m since the start of term 1 on “enhanced” Covid cleaning, on top of its regular cleaning program, which costs about $80m per term.

The $3.4m-a-week outlay had been described as “questionable” by infectious disease expert Robert Booy.

Enhanced Covid cleaning is on top of general cleaning and its costs. Picture: Joel Carrett

“There’s a lot of controversy as to whether Covid spreads through surfaces, and there’s a strand of thinking that ventilation has more of a benefit,” the professor said.

Contracts revealed the state government paid $33.2m to “enhance” clean public schools across NSW during term 2, from April 26 to June 30, and $31.7m during term 1, totalling $65m, on top of general cleaning costs of $160m.

The Covid cleaning focuses on ‘high-touch points’, like door handles and stair rails

It was previously funded by the federal government although the state treasurer has copped the cost since January. The contracts were rubber-stamped by the previous government and are made on a term-by-term basis.

NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car announced from term 3 she would scrap the costly program. Picture: Christian Gilles

For 111 days of cleaning – excluding weekends – it works out to about $585,000 a day since the start of term 1.

For comparison, $64.9m could build almost two new schools in Wagga – 480-student Estella Public opened in 2021 for $36m – and about three smaller Sydney schools – 300-student Wentworth Point Public opened in 2018 for about $22m.

The money could also cover full aircon installation for about 130 average-sized schools or the yearly salary of 856 graduate teachers.

NSW MP Rod Roberts called the costs “ridiculous”.

NSW Upper House MP Rod Roberts called the costs and cleaning “overkill”. Picture: Supplied

“We’re being told it’s time for belt-tightening, that we’ve got a $7bn blackhole,” he said.

“The WHO have said the pandemic has been and gone – it’s overkill and pointless.”

Professor Booy said there was “limited evidence” millions should be spent, given the high level of immunity, and called the outlay “questionable”.

“The cost of contact cleaning is high and needs to be evaluated with real evidence,” the Sydney University professor said.

Professor Robert Booy, a leading infectious disease expert. Picture: Supplied

“It’s all good having a theoretical approach that says it works because you get rid of the virus, but does that actually prevent it from being transmitted? That’s the big question.”

A NSW Education Department spokeswoman said health and safety was its “highest priorities” and the cleaning was part of Covid prevention.

General cleaning – mopping, vacuuming, toilets – occurs after the school day while the enhanced cleaning happens during the day.

The term 2 tender is spread out across eight contracts, covering each region of NSW, and the government paid $2.6m to ‘Covid-clean’ schools in western Sydney, $6.8m in southwest Sydney, $4.8m in Sydney city, $3.4m in north Sydney, $4.2m in northern NSW, $5.5m in southern NSW, $2.6m in the Hunter and Central Coast, and $3.5m in the north coast.

News tip? Email [e-mail]