Dr JOE McGIRR (Wagga Wagga) (20:08): When it comes to delivering a better future, few things are more important than providing the best education to our children. To do that, we need inspired and dedicated teachers, excellent leadership, engaged families and innovative ideas in the classroom. We also need great school facilities—bricks and mortar places of learning that create ideal environments for young minds to thrive. Wagga Wagga is fortunate to have excellent schools in both the public and private sectors, but as we prepare to meet the challenges of educating the next generations, we will need new options. Specifically, I am talking about the need for a new public high school—the city's fourth—for a population that has already risen above 70,000. The place to build that school will be the northern suburbs, a fast-growing community with many young families with primary school-aged children.
Recognising the need to educate those children, the former Government had the foresight to build Estella Public School, which opened in 2021 with 134 students. The growth trend continues—402 students are enrolled in 2026, showing that the school is highly regarded by local families. Among the parents who send their children there is mother-of-three Sarah Humphries, who is president of the P&C and an advocate for educational opportunities to meet the rapidly growing needs of her community. For Mrs Humphries, who operates her own business, having a great school near home is a perfect way to meet the demands of work, school and raising a young family. The challenge facing Mrs Humpries and others like her is that before long, her children—the oldest of whom is not far from finishing primary school—will soon graduate to high school, but there is no public high school in the neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood is in the northern suburbs of Wagga Wagga. Its population had reached almost 7,000 according to the 2021 census, and it has grown since. It is zoned for Wagga Wagga High School, which is an excellent school but is filling fast and is in the city centre, making it a challenging commute each school day to get across the congested Gobba bridge into town. More importantly, it is a question of capacity and of providing the best environment for our young people to learn in. When I raised the matter in this place in March 2024, Wagga Wagga High School had six spare classrooms, but six is not enough. Even if as many as 30 students were allocated to each class, six would only be enough to cater for about half the current student population of Estella Public School alone, and that is only going to grow.
It is little wonder that parents in the northern suburbs are worried about where their children will receive their secondary education. I am heartened by the Government's commitment to investigating the need for a new high school. In October 2024, in response to a question from me in this place, the Minister for Education and Early Learning said:
The department has undertaken its analysis of enrolment trends in Wagga Wagga. What that analysis showed will not surprise the member, or anybody who lives in the northern suburbs. It showed that a future high school will be needed if the expected development goes ahead.
It certainly has. She went on to say:
I am pleased to confirm that the department has begun an investigation process for potential future high school sites, because the first step for building education infrastructure in those communities is finding a site to build the high school.
That was a welcome response, and I thank the Minister for recognising the concerns of my community. But if we are to head off an overcrowding problem at Wagga Wagga High School, the next stages of the investigation must be accelerated. There is room in Estella to build a new school, and there is a need. The community is a strong supporter of public education. The future of Wagga Wagga—the State's biggest inland city and a key driver of the regional economy—depends upon it. A new high school will not be cheap, but if it is done soon and done right, Sarah Humphries and hundreds of parents like her will know that their children will get the best education the State can provide, close to where it is needed and designed with the community in mind.
The time to make that investment is now. I urge the Government to move quickly towards finding a site and beginning the planning process as soon as possible. Future generations will pay this State back many times over for action now that will pay enormous dividends in the future.
Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (20:13): I thank the member for Wagga Wagga for raising the important issue of school infrastructure. He was absolutely correct when he said that educating our children is one of the most important things that this Government and all governments must commit to. Governments of all persuasions need to ensure that educational resources for our students are prioritised and adequately provided. As the member said, I acknowledge that the former Government did some work towards that goal. I will follow up with the Minister to find out what future works are planned in the electorate of Wagga Wagga. I thank the member for his advocacy and his commitment to the education of each and every student in his electorate.
