Local Members Need To Identify Future School Closures

Media Release.

 

Townsville’s LNP Members of Parliament have failed in their fundamental duty to stick up for their community by standing idly by while the LNP government axes an historic primary school and offers it for sale to the highest bidder.

 

“Having done nothing to save Stuart State School, now is their chance to do the right thing and identify how many of the 47 schools left on the Newman Government’s secret hit-list of schools are in the Townsville or North Queensland area,” Opposition Frontbencher, Jo-Ann Miller, said in Townsville today.

 

Mrs Miller said the devastated students, parents and teachers from the Stuart State School deserved better from the Education Minister and their local LNP MPs.

 

“At the local level Rosemary Menkens, David Crisafulli, John Hathaway and Sam Cox have done precisely what they always do when local jobs or services are cut by their own government — and that is absolutely nothing,” Mrs Miller said.

 

“While the parents of kids who attend this 120-year-old school have fought a valiant fight to save it, their local MPs have been true to form, refusing to represent the community and refusing to take the fight up to the government."

 

“It’s a very dark day for education in this region when the genuine pleas of the families affected by this closure are ignored and these local MPs refuse to act for local families."

 

“I now challenge each of these MPs to visit Stuart State School, look parents in the eye and explain why their school is closing and why they declined to lobby to keep it open."

 

“They need to explain why this decision was delayed until after the federal election – prolonging the pain– and why this decision was politically motivated.”

 

Mrs Miller said the Newman Government originally had a hit-list of 55 schools and now eight of them knew their future — six to close and two to stay open.

 

“That leaves 47 schools likely to close because they are on Mr Langbroek’s secret list and we need to know which schools they are?” she said.

 

“The Minister says there should be no more closures in this parliamentary term, so he should now identify the remaining 47 schools on his hit list so those school communities can express their views at the next state election."

 

“The local LNP MPs might help by identifying the local schools among the 47 left.”

 

Mrs Miller said the closure of the Stuart State School along with five others across Queensland had nothing to do with each school’s future viability.

 

“Queenslanders should be under no illusion – this decision by the Education Minister John Paul Langbroek has nothing to do with education but has everything to do with real estate."

 

“The Minister has looked at these schools with dollar signs in his eyes and they will now be quickly sold off to the nearest available property developer."

 

“It’s a disgraceful state of affairs and the Minister owes Stuart parents, teachers and students a thorough explanation.”