Member for Macquarie Fields Anoulack Chanthivong credits people power for saving Hurlstone Agricultural High School in Glenfield.
While Mr Chanthivong welcomed the Liberal Government’s backflip on its atrocious plans to relocate Hurlstone to Hawkesbury, he vowed to ensure promises of funding for Hurlstone’s upgrades and the retention of the dairy were not broken.
“I want to thank every single resident who joined my Hands Off Hurlstone campaign over the past four years to keep Hurlstone at its rightful home in Glenfield,” he said.
“It has been a long and hard-fought campaign but we didn’t back down and I look forward to Hurlstone maintaining its strong and proud tradition at Glenfield. Whilst the decision is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction for Hurlstone and our community’s future”.
Mr Chanthivong said today’s victory was bittersweet, with the Liberal Government pushing ahead with plans to sell most of the school’s land to developers.
“More green open space will be swallowed up as part of a greedy land grab that is typical of this Government’s obsession with overdevelopment,” he said.
Mr Chanthivong also slammed the Liberal Government’s mismanagement of its plan to relocate Hurlstone.
“This whole process has been a colossal waste of time and money in addition to the unnecessary stress and uncertainty heaped upon the school community,” he said.
“This Hurlstone debacle is yet another example of this Government’s financial mismanagement. Rest assured there will be a forensic hunt for just how many millions of dollars have been wasted on this unnecessary relocation plan.”
Mr Chanthivong paid tribute to key figures in his campaign including Hurlstone alumni Dr Peter Benson, the late Laurie Porter, former Hurlstone Principal John Norris and former Macquarie Fields MP – Dr Andrew MacDonald.
“This serves as a lesson for all governments: Hands off Hurlstone!”
Details of Mr Chanthivong’s four-year “Hands off Hurlstone” campaign can be viewed at https://letsbackanoulack.com/my-campaigns/hands-off-hurlstone/
