Government must address broken promises at North Coast schools and apologise to students, parents and teachers

July 11, 2010

The Federal MP Luke Hartsuyker has welcomed moves by the Government to provide a North Coast school with the facilities it was promised under the Federal Labor Government’s bungled school infrastructure program.

Rorts and rip-offs have left schools right across the region high and dry after promised facilities were not delivered and schools received very poor value for money.  In some cases, local P and C groups were being left to pick up the tab for incomplete projects.

“I have been advised the Government has now told Stuarts Point Public School they will receive the facilities they were originally promised. This is welcome but the Government needs to go further. Public schools such as in Eungai, Narranga, Scotts Head and Corindi also deserve to have the facilities which they were promised.

“There are other schools in the region which have been reluctant to go public for fear of a Government backlash. Federal and State Labor Governments must also ensure  these schools are not ignored. The Government must also formally apologise to these school communities and acknowledge how poorly they have been treated.”

Mr Hartsuyker said after months of denying a problem even existed, Federal and State Labor were now seeking a political fix to get Julia Gillard off the hook in the lead up to the Federal election.

“School communities and taxpayers will never forget how this program was rorted beyond belief on the current Prime Minister’s watch,” Mr Hartsuyker said. “The billions which have been wasted across the nation have left a very bitter taste in the mouths of parents and teachers. There were treated with absolute contempt by Julia Gillard, Verity Firth and each of their departments.  This fight is not over. The verbal undertakings amount to nothing until the promised infrastructure is delivered.

“If the Federal Coalition is returned to Government at the next election, we will immediately freeze payments under this program and fund school communities directly. And the P and C’s will be able to retain any savings they make, as along as they reinvest that money back into the school.”