Emu Park high school debate: Mayor ‘sick and tired’ of excuses

The debate over whether a growing Central Queensland town should get its first high school has fired back up with a local mayor declaring he is “sick and tired” of excuses from state leaders.

Livingstone Shire Mayor Andy Ireland and Keppel MP Brittany Lauga.

Livingstone Shire councillor Andrea Friend has stirred up a hornet’s nest that has been largely undisturbed for the past few years.

At the most recent monthly council meeting, Ms Friend ramped up lobbying for Emu Park to get its first high school saying “we need to know” if the township qualifies for one under the Queensland Government’s eligibility criteria.

What followed was unanimous support from her councillor colleagues with Mayor Andy Ireland going as far as to say he was “sick and tired” of excuses from the State Government.

Ms Friend said since she became a councillor in 2020, she had been contacted by “quite a lot of people” in relation to the issue.

“And I mean quite a lot of people – I can’t even give you a number, it’s been a tremendous amount of people … that want a high school at Emu Park,” she said.

“Some of the residents have been lobbying for this since the 1990s.”

Livingstone Shire councillor Andrea Friend.

In late 2020, the Queensland Government shot down a campaign for a high school at Emu Park, with then Assistant Minister for Education and Keppel MP Brittany Lauga saying it was clear the coastal township needed to grow its population size to be able to sustain a local high school.

At the recent council meeting, Ms Friend said it was time to “find out in writing” what the Queensland Government’s criteria was and when it may consider a high school for Emu Park.

“There are about 7000 residents approximately, in the areas of Emu Park, Zilzie, Keppel Sands, Tanby and Kinka Beach and Cawarral,” Ms Friend said.

“And everyone has families and they continue to grow and marry, and there’s more children.

“ … we need to know when the State Government will consider a high school and what are the complexities around this?”

Mayor Ireland didn’t mince his words on the subject.

“I think it’s something as a council we need to get behind,” he said.

“I know as Cr (Pat) Eastwood’s pointed out before, we’ve been down this road before and the statistics have basically not supported the construction of a high school at Emu Park.

“Well, you know, personally I’m getting sick and tired of statistics being presented by the State Government that stop us from doing things, and stop them from doing things in this community.”

Livingstone Shire Mayor Andy Ireland.

Mr Ireland said a “classic example” was the intersection of Dairy Inn Rd and Artillery Rd.

“I mean we’ve been given statistics by the State that say they can’t afford a roundabout, they can’t afford an overpass, they can’t afford this, they can’t afford that.

“But ultimately, they’re not looking to the future.”

Mr Ireland said the Queensland Government’s own statisticians were predicting by 2045, Livingstone’s population would be “double what it is now.”

“So are you going to turn around and tell this community that they can’t have a high school, when you’ve got kids on buses, as Cr (Glenda) Mather’s saying – we’re losing kids to schools in other communities like Rockhampton when they could essentially be educated locally on the Capricorn Coast.

“I just think it’s an abomination, but anyway, rant over.”

Councillors unanimously voted to seek answers and a position from both sides of State government on the issue.

Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga.

When contacted by this publication on Tuesday and asked whether Emu Park currently qualified for a high school under the Queensland Government’s criteria, Ms Lauga did not address that specifically but said:

“Yeppoon State High School has capacity for more than 1500 students, and as at February 2023 had 1079 enrolled so there is plenty of space.

“The Department of Education will continue to monitor population growth and if an additional high school is needed on the Capricorn Coast, we will build it.”

Ms Lauga said the Queensland Government was committed to providing state-of-the-art school facilities to everyone in Queensland, including in Livingstone.

“Since 2015, we have built 25 new schools in the fastest growing parts of our state,” she said.

“In Central Queensland, we have invested nearly $1 billion to upgrade and maintain schools, including $10.5 million for a new two-storey hospitality and engineering building at Yeppoon SHS which I officially opened today.”

Originally published as Emu Park high school debate: Mayor ‘sick and tired’ of excuses