A PARLIAMENTARY committee have committed to visiting Gillieston Public School following advocacy from the community.
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Parents from Gillieston Public School travelled to Parliament House on Monday to appear as witnesses in the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the planning and delivery of school infrastructure in New South Wales.
Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison met with the concerned parents at Parliament House and thanked them for making the case to the Committee to ensure they were well aware and informed of the lack of infrastructure and significant issues at Gillieston Public School.
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P&C President Katie Ferguson was joined by concerned parents Todd Sellers, Simon Rolfe and Sarah Bird (Sarah appeared via video link), and they were all given the opportunity to give short opening statements to the committee followed by questions asked by committee members to the parents.
During the hearing the Committee Chair Mark Latham thanked parents for alerting the members to the infrastructure issues at the school and their excellent evidence and told parents:
"You have alerted the committee to something that sounds like it should not be happening in a civilised society, it shouldn't be happening in a state with plenty of resources like NSW so it is very important for committee members to see these things," he said.
Ms Aitchison said she was very pleased members of the Legislative Council Committee have committed to visiting the school in coming weeks and looked forward to welcoming them to the Maitland electorate.
"But we need more than just a visit, we need the NSW Government to get the cheque book out and upgrade Gillieston Public School," Ms Aitchison said.
"I have been campaigning with parents and the community for years to highlight the neglect that the school.
"I will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of the Gillieston Public School community to the ensure money is allocated for an urgent upgrade."
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