Jordan Spring residents are furious there is still no funding allocated for a primary school, claiming they were told the school would be completed by the end of this Government’s term.
Luigi Ragusa, Chairman of the Jordan Springs Residents Group, was at the Baird Government’s pre-election announcement in Jordan Springs in March 2015, and is adamant they identified the completion date.
“They said they will start in 2016 and be finished by 2018, but that was the one [candidate] that was voted out, but he did say that,” he said.
“That was the case, that definitely was. It was definitely promised to be finished by then. We had the Treasurer (Andrew Constance) there, and he said they had the money to go ahead with it.”
Penrith Councillor Bernard Bratusa was running in the State Election for the seat of Londonderry for the Liberal Party, but he said he did not recall a start or completion date announced that day.
At the time, the Weekender reported the Baird Government promised the school would be completed in its ‘next term’, from March 2015 to 2019, and no correction was ever made by the State Government until now.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Education has not flatly denied the completion date commitment was made, but said they are still sticking to an election commitment that is to begin construction in this term.
“The NSW Government has committed a new primary school to service the community of Jordan Springs, with planning and construction to begin in this term of government,” he said.
Two budgets later and not one cent of funding has been allocated, prompting Member for Londonderry Prue Car to question why.
“If the school will be completed by 2019, why has there been no money allocated and why has construction not started?” she asked.
Ms Car said once again the Jordan Springs community has been left in limbo not knowing whether the State Government will deliver its promise for a new primary school.
“The Baird Government needs to come clean and be honest with our community. You cannot promise one thing in an election and then refuse to deliver,” she said.
“The community of Jordan Springs has one question – where is our school?”
