The Sydney Metro Strategy for new dwellings in Lane Cove has increased demand for student places at local State Public Schools and State High Schools.

The increase in student population in local schools has been provided mainly through the installation of demountable classrooms, often at short notice and with no planning optimal location of additional classrooms. Most of these demountables have been placed on playground areas reducing outdoor areas available for play and sport. Currently there is no long-term plan in place to provide additional school infrastructure to replace all demountable classrooms and to cope with increased school student populations.

Following the NSW State Election in March 2015, I moved the below motion in July 2015 which was adopted this weekend at the NSW Labor State a Conference.

That the Lane Cove Branch calls on NSW Labor to:
1. Commit to not allow the sale of any publicly owned land currently occupied by a State Public School, State Public High School or a TAFE campus in the Lane Cove and Willoughby State Electorates and the Lower North Shore area of Sydney,

2. Introduce a policy for all other publicly owned lands that are currently surplus to original requirements to be considered as new school sites (including all Departmental land and land owned by State Corporations),

3. Adopt a policy to replace all demountable classrooms with permanent classrooms and multi-purpose facilities in the Lane Cove and Willoughby Electorates and the Lower North Shore area of Sydney, and

4. Prepare a specific funding commitment for the Lane Cove State and Willoughby State Electorates concerning new school infrastructure to be announced during the 2019 State Election campaign.

The above motion was supported by the NSW Labor State Conference 2016. 

This means that we shall work with the State Labor Party to announce a package of benefits for Lane Cove at the next State Election for an elected State Labor Government to implement.