Councillor Ross Grove

Poor decision making from the state government will mean that no high school in the Holroyd area receives science classroom upgrades as part of the Rudd Government’s $14.7B Building the Education Revolution enonomic stimulus program, Holroyd Liberal Councillor Ross Grove said today.

“Our community is missing out on upgrades to tired and worn out school science labs because the state government has taken this bizarre approach to how is allocates federal stimulus funding in NSW.” Clr Grove said.

“The Rees Labor Government are allocating the funds by postcode area in order of economic disadvantage but they should be attending to those schools whose science labs are in the greatest need of an upgrade.

“Your school might have the cruttiest science labs in the state but if it isn’t located in the right postcode area then the state government says you don’t get an upgrade – and that’s what’s going on with the high schools in our community.

“At Holroyd High School in Greystanes the science classrooms have not been updated since the school was opened more than 40 years ago, and despite any economic disadvantage in the student body (rather than the postcode area) it still won’t be funded under Rudd’s stimulus because the state government funding formula leaves it out of the equation.

“I actually recall as a student, and this was not too long ago, opening a science book up to read that one day soon we will send a man into the Heavens to land on the moon.

“What we’ve got here is a package which has not been properly thought out and unfortunately this bureaucratic bungle will cost the taxpayer in more ways than one.

Clr Grove is also the president of the Holroyd High School Parents and Citizens Association. He’ll be raising this issue with the Government and Opposition so our communities are better looked after in the event of another stimulus.

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Media Enquiries: Ross Grove on 0412897130 or rossgrove@rossgrove.com