Varsity College: Fury over key road project outside busy school missing out on funding

A bitter feud has exploded publicly over millions of dollars of critical road safety funding needed to improve a congested road outside a busy Gold Coast school.

THE bitter feud between state Transport Minister Mark Bailey and Councillor Hermann Vorster has exploded publicly over millions of dollars of critical road safety funding for a busy Gold Coast school.

Parents from Varsity Lakes College last year made submissions to the $40m School Transport Infrastructure Program (STIP) asking for a signalised pedestrian crossing at Christine Ave and Varsity Sound Ave after multiple close calls for students.

The college is the biggest school on the Coast, with more than 3000 students crowding its morning and afternoon pick-ups.

Location of a proposed signalised pedestrian crossing at Christine Ave and Varsity Sound Ave. Picture: Hermann Vorster.

However, the projects have missed out on funding, despite Mr Vorster also directly lobbying Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in a letter last June.

Now, with school resuming this week, the Robina councillor has written to the state Auditor general asking for the program to be investigated, citing a “loss of faith” in the administration of the program by the government and Mr Bailey.

He said the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) had declined to fund the project because it was on a council-controlled road,

However Mr Bailey insists the project did not get funded because Varsity College did not make a formal application.

“Yet again the state government has botched a vital community infrastructure program,” Cr Vorster said.

Councillor Hermann Vorster. Picture, John Gass

“Their mixed messaging has broken confidence in their ability to keep primary aged kids safe around state school and if they’re improperly ruling out projects at Varsity College, I worry for every other school community here on the southern Gold Coast.

“I’ve tried to help them fix these communication issues, but the only way to get the program back on track may be with an independent review.

“Ratepayers have delivered for Varsity College families, and they just want to be treated fairly and transparently by the state.”

Cr Vorster’s letter asking for an investigation was sent last week.

Mr Bailey hit back saying Cr Vorster had been “caught out cold lying”.

“If Hermann Vorster has any integrity, he should apologise to me and the department immediately for his dishonesty,” he said.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“Cr Vorster has been caught out cold lying again – the advice from my department is that Varsity College hasn’t made a formal submission to the School Transport Infrastructure Program.

“The project has never been submitted by the school or Cr Vorster’s Gold Coast City Council as a formal STIP project for consideration of funding.”

TMR assesses all applications to the STIP program “on merit”.

Mr Bailey pointed towards several Gold Coast projects being funded in the most recent round including works outside St Andrew’s Lutheran College in West Burleigh.

“Let’s be clear, these roads are the responsibility of the Gold Coast Council and Mr Vorster seems to be confessing that he is ineffective as the local councillor who has been unable to secure funding for the upgrades the school community has asked for,” Mr Bailey said.

It is the latest step in the pair’s poor relationship.

In December Mr Bailey accused Mr Vorster of politically “stalking the seat of Burleigh” in the hopes of replacing incumbent LNP MP Michael Hart.

Mr Vorster denied the allegation and insisted he was both supporting Mr Hart and speaking up for his community.   

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Originally published as Varsity College: Fury over key road project outside busy school missing out on funding