Decision to scrap Westmead school lacks foresight

How much cash can one spend on not building a school?

That would be more than $20 million, as Anthony Segaert writes in today’s Sun-Herald. A second public primary school for the booming suburb of Westmead is officially off the table, after the state government confirmed it would divert an additional spend of $953,000 for “Westmead school projects” to upgrade the existing school and those in three neighbouring suburbs.

The second primary school for Westmead has had a long history: it was first announced by the former Coalition government in its 2018 budget, when Westmead Public had the state’s highest enrolment. It became an election promise, but details – and the new school’s location – were nowhere to be seen. Then in 2022, then premier Dominic Perrottet included a 1000-student primary school in his vision for the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Earlier this year, a length ICAC inquiry into the former head of School Infrastructure NSW revealed the Westmead plan was causing “discomfort” within the government as it grappled with compulsorily acquiring homes and parkland to find a site for the school. Former School Infrastructure contractor Martin Berry told the inquiry that the school was an “urgent piece of work” because “it was an election commitment”.

The total spent to June 30 this year? $20,485,000 (including some land acquisition).

It’s a lot of money to spend to no avail. In that time, other new primary schools have been announced, notably a school for Emerald Hills, near Leppington, in last month’s budget. Leppington was identified as one of the top 10 enrolment growth areas between 2018 and 2023 in a report released last year.

In NSW Labor’s defence: that report does not place Westmead in the top 20 areas for enrolment growth in the state.

But that was the situation two years ago. If all goes to plan, in 2032 Westmead will become the terminus of the Metro West line, an additional public transport option alongside the light rail, which opened late last year, and train station.

NSW has repeatedly failed to build school infrastructure before housing.

One only needs to look to the huge low-fee Catholic and independent schools which have emerged in Sydney’s north-west and south-west growth corridors to see how market demand has not been met by public schools.

The issue was a talking point for now education minister Prue Car throughout the 2023 state election. Car repeatedly made mention that it was easier for families in her own western Sydney electorate to access Catholic and independent education than public education near their home, as public schools commissioned Coalition state government had not kept up with housing, and the private sector had seized its opportunity.

With Cumberland Council pushing to add 16,500 new residents to the suburb, a second school in Westmead is an opportunity to have a school ready for the families who will flock to such a well-connected suburb in the centre of our city.

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