Gladys Berejiklian: Mollymook school site auction stopped at the last minute
Gladys Berejiklian has stepped in at the 11th-hour before the contentious auction of land earmarked for a school on the south coast. Find out what the site will be used for.
The South Coast News
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The NSW Premier has been forced to stop the controversial auction of Department of Education land on the south coast after lobbying from concerned community members.
Mollymook Says spokeswoman Liz O’Connell said she was elated NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had stepped in on Tuesday to stop the March 10 auction of the 3ha Mollymook site over what local Liberal MP Shelley Hancock said was a lack of community consultation.
“The community always thought it would be used to expand a school, but we are concerned developers will take over and there will be no school,” Ms O’Connell said.
“We are very excited to move onto the next stage of community consultation and coming up with some great ideas for the use of the property.
“We need to work on it. Most people want to leave it as a green space for the community to use.”
She said aside from a lack of consultation, there were also environmental concerns surrounding the sale.
“There was no consideration that the bushfires burnt through 80 per cent of the Shoalhaven. “One of the worst fires in history should’ve been considered.
“The land should be used for science learning outdoors.”
A Department of Education spokeswoman said the land was “surplus to education needs” and proceeds from the sale would be reinvested in education infrastructure projects across the state.
“The department owns alternative land in the region for future educational requirements,” the spokeswoman said.
Ms O’Connell said funds from the sale should go towards local school funding, not shared across NSW.
South Coast Liberal MP Shelley Hancock said she had lobbied Ms Berejiklian and Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Sarah Mitchell to stop the sale.
“I was outraged when I learned, at the same time as the community, that the Department of Education intended on selling the site,” Ms Hancock said.
“It was simply unacceptable that the sale was proceeding without any consultation with the community, nor surrounding school principals and education staff.
“This is extremely valuable land, not just in terms of its monetary value, but its significant environmental benefits to the Mollymook community.
“The fences will now be removed and we will go back to the community to involve them in any future decision.
“It is essential that we plan for the future. We need to better understand the Southern Shoalhaven’s education needs, and involve the community in developing our future education plans,” she said.
Shoalhaven Amanda Findley said she is also against the sale, and said the government should be planning for future south coast school expansions due to quickly changing demographics.
“The open spaces in both Ulladulla and Milton primary schools are becoming more congested with the swell of young families moving into the area,” she said.
“Down the track, these numbers will obviously impact the one high school in the area.”
She said while the recent purchase of the Shoalhaven Anglican School site for use as the new Budawang Special School campus is good news, more land was needed for education purposes.
“Every day the media is full of stories about the massive changes occurring in regional areas, not just on the coast, but everywhere,” she said.
“The movement is mostly young families as they realise they can move out of the big smoke, work from home and swap the big mortgage for an improved family lifestyle in the country.
“Once the government loses this land, it’s gone forever,” she said.
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