By ERWIN CHLANDA
Minister for Education, Selena Uibo, can say with a straight face that the Territory Labor Government will “invest” $5.2m “in specialist infrastructure over the next 12 months to help support NT students with additional needs to reach their full potential”.
She is part of the same government that has just finished demolition of the former Anzac Hill High School buildings, at a cost of $2m. The photo above shows where the school used to be, serving education needs for many decades. It was in a perfectly suitable condition to be renovated for further use.
Local historian Alex Nelson and many other heritage activists have made this clear, a view that is shared by the Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC).
The government, widely regarded as being bankrupt, has demolished the school without any clear idea of what it will use the land for.
Its “preference” is to locate the proposed National Aboriginal Art Gallery there but traditional custodians have rejected that.
Ms Uibo (pictured) says in a media release “projects under the new Building for Inclusion initiative that will roll out in select Territory schools include upgrades to special annexes and autism units at selected schools, acoustics upgrades to more than 20 classrooms and modifications to existing school infrastructure.
“The framework was the result of a key Territory Labor election commitment to invest $40m million over four years in early intervention, flexible schooling, and in supporting students with additional needs.”
The former Anzac High was used for St Joseph’s Learning Centre for young people with special learning needs, for a youth drop-in centre and a string of other purposes.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
It should be recalled that the Henderson Labor Government had no problem repurposing the old high school, after Anzac Hill High School was closed at the end of 2009, as the Youth Hub which was a major part of its program for dealing with children and teenagers on the streets at night.
There was much protestation from Labor when the CLP shut down the Youth Hub after it won government in 2012.
The vacant site of the former high school is mute testimony to the bungling incompetence that has become the hallmark of the Gunner Labor Government.
The fate of that old school is the same that lies in wait for Labor in this year’s NT election campaign, for it is a government that truly deserves to be completely expunged from holding office.
Fools wasting taxpayers’ money.
Much ado about nothing … or grandstanding.
There is a world class educational facility which is under-used.
It’s called Yirara.
And one across the road.
It’s called Desert Knowledge.
Now they would make excellent an excellent campus.
Already built.