Premier Chris Minns, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car and Member for Penrith Karen McKeown paid a visit to Cambridge Gardens Public School today to announce the fulfillment of an election promise which will see upgrades at the school enter the planning process.
Car and McKeown visited the school in February this year, announcing that if a Minns Labor Government were to be elected, upgrades including new soft fall playground surfacing and student toilets would be fast-tracked.
Today, joined by Minns, the two returned to deliver the exciting news to students and parents that this promise would soon become a reality.
“We’re really happy that our election commitment of refurbishing and resurfacing the basketball court here at Cambridge Gardens is on track,” Car said.
“Mr Wynn, as Principal, is doing some fantastic work to produce some wonderful young people out of this public school, and what the government can do is make sure that that public school is resourced the very best it can be.”
Nearby Kingswood Public School will also be among those which will be receiving upgrades as part of the NSW Government’s election commitment to improve public schools in Sydney’s west – something Car said they’re not willing to compromise on.
“Education is this government’s number one priority, and that means getting teachers in the classroom, more of them, and also making sure the facilities for our kids in public schools are absolutely top notch,” she said.
“Part of the reason why the government changed on the 25th of March was the need in western Sydney for new schools to be built in growing areas, and existing schools to be refurbished and given the love they deserve, because every child in New South Wales has a right to go to a top-quality public school in this state.”
Minns emphasised that upgrading and building these world-class public education facilities – like the recently announced high school in Jordan Springs – are integral in ensuring that the local area is ready for the next generation of young learners.
“This is all about New South Wales Labor committing to and building the infrastructure that the fast-growing western suburbs of Sydney desperately need. That means school upgrades for established schools like the one we’re dealing with right now, as well as brand new schools in some of the fastest growing parts of anywhere in the entire country,” he said.
“I’ve been a bit alarmed to see in recent years so many independent, Christian, and private schools having the foresight to go in and buy land in fast-growing communities when the New South Wales government, which often has the land in the first place, hasn’t made provision for future schools.”
“We want to turn that around, build the infrastructure for fast-growing communities, look after western Sydney and, for the first time in a long time, say to the communities in Sydney’s west, we want to build the infrastructure for the future.”
Cassidy Pearce
Cassidy Pearce is a news and entertainment journalist with The Western Weekender. A graduate of the University of Technology Sydney, she has previously worked with Good Morning Macarthur and joined the Weekender in 2022.