Premier Chris Minns tours Wakehurst

It was my pleasure to host the NSW Premier, Chris Minns here in Wakehurst. We caught up with local legends at Collaroy SLSC, met staff and guests of Sargood on Collaroy and attended assembly and morning tea at NBSC Cromer Campus.

As part of the 2024-2025 NSW Budget, Premier Minns announced funding for NBSC Cromer Campus to commence planning a new multi-purpose indoor sports facility. In addition to sports, the facility will host all-school assemblies, exams, music and other performances.

This has been long advocated for by myself, and the local community, with recent growth
in the Cromer student population demanding an upgrade to school facilities. The multi- purpose indoor sports facility will be used by Cromer students during school hours, as well as local community groups and sports clubs after hours, on weekends and school holidays. 

Thanks to Cromer Campus principal Justin Hong and P&C President Jackie Reavie for their committed leadership and advocacy. I look forward to working with the school and sporting groups to ensure the final design delivers a great outcome that meets the needs of the whole community.

The NSW Department of Education has also confirmed that a science lab at Killarney Heights High School will receive a much-needed upgrade as part of the $1.5 billion committed in this year’s NSW budget for maintenance and minor upgrades in public schools.

Improving local public school infrastructure is a top priority for me. That’s why in Term 4, 2023 I invited faculty and parents of local public schools to participate in the Wakehurst Schools’ Facilities Survey.

Sydney’s habitat for threatened species like the koala is increasingly becoming fragmented, disrupting corridors needed for animals to escape adversity like fire or promote genetic variability. The Government Architect has done work to map a network of bushland, other greenspaces and waterways, but there is no overarching instrument to set these spaces aside from development with protections ad hoc and inadequate.

Together with metropolitan independents I asked the Planning Minister to reserve Sydney’s blue green grid to protect biodiversity and create recreational opportunities for the city’s growing population.

I am excited that a number of community groups in the electorate will receive capital grants through the Community Building Partnership Grants Program to help their work. This year Wakehurst secured nearly $300,000 in funding for 17 projects.

The worthy recipients are Life Education, Beacon Hill and Belrose Rural Fire Service, Forest Baseball Softball Club, Girl Guides, Manly Warringah Football, Manly Warringah Women’s Resource Centre, Manly Warringah Baseball, Early Education, Police Citizens
Youth Clubs, Lighthouse Community Cafe, Streetwork, Collaroy Rugby Club and MWP Community Care. 

Congratulations to these groups who can now use this money to provide better facilities and services.