The Camden and Wollondilly school maintenance backlog is among the longest in the State with hundreds of children studying in cramped and dilapidated classrooms in 40 separate schools, says the NSW Labor Opposition
Documents obtained by Labor under freedom of information laws show that a record $13 million in repairs are urgently needed across 17 schools in the Camden electorate and 23 in the Wollondilly electorate.
The much needed repairs include: toilet block upgrades, carpet replacements, leaky and damaged roofs and cracked windows.
Walt Secord, the Duty Labor MLC for Camden and Wollondilly, drew attention to the neglect of the schools – saying NSW Labor and the community demanded immediate action.
Mr Secord says that state wide there is a record $775 million worth of repairs needed.
However, documents also confirm the Government has allocated a paltry $65 million to schools to address this backlog – only eight per cent of the total backlog.
Data shows that in the Camden electorate, there are:
Five schools with an individual maintenance backlog in excess of half a million dollars;
12 schools with an individual maintenance backlog in excess of $200,000; and
Mount Annan High School has the largest maintenance backlog at $1.05 million.
In Wollondilly electorate there are:
Two schools with an individual maintenance backlog in excess of half a million dollars;
12 schools with an individual maintenance backlog in excess of $200,000; and
Bowral High School has the largest maintenance backlog of almost a $1million.
At current funding levels, some schools will not have their maintenance backlog cleared until 2041.
“This is the latest example of the failure and neglect by the Liberal Party and their Macarthur region MPs Chris Patterson and Jai Rowell,” Mr Secord said.
“Students cannot learn if they have smelly carpets and leaky roofs.
“It is also unfair to have broken and unhygienic bathrooms.
“Mount Annan High School and Elizabeth Macarthur High School have a maintenance backlog of over $2 million under the Liberals’ neglect of the Macarthur region.
“The Liberals continue to neglect the needs of locals on the Macarthur region.
“Our children and their families deserve better. They deserve to have clean and safe classrooms,” Mr Secord said.
