Warren-Blackwood MP Terry Redman is calling on students, parents and community members to continue to oppose the closure of the Bridgetown Camp School by supporting an upcoming rally to be held in Bunbury on April 20, 2018.
The state government announced in 2017 that the Camp School would be closed at the end of this year as part of education cuts that would net $64 million in savings.
The Bridgetown Camp School continues to be well utilised throughout the school term and on weekends, with many sporting groups such as Netball WA using the facilities on weekends and during school holidays throughout the year.
Most recently the camp school hosted the 17U and 19U WA state teams as well as the WA Netball League (WANL) umpire pool for a team building weekend in preparation for the National Netball Championships to be held in Adelaide in April this year.
Ongoing community support against the closure via petitions and online forums have not made any difference to date, with the McGowan Government throwing further uncertainty over the school by erasing it from the Education Departments website.
A recent petition with over 2700 signatures was tabled in the Upper House by Nationals MP Colin Holt last week calling for the government to reverse its decision.
Mr Redman said the government was toying with the future of more than 50 camp school staff from Bridgetown and across the state.
“The shift of Bridgetown and Pemberton Camp Schools from WA’s list of schools on the Department of Education’s website to a section labelled ‘other facilities’ is concerning and confusing,” Mr Redman said.
“Bridgetown and Pemberton Camp Schools are now listed alongside Broome Camp School, which the Minister has said will stay open, but also grouped it with the Landsdale Farm School and Herdsman Wildlife Centre, which the Minister has said will close.
“We really need some clarification from the McGowan Government once and for all about what is happening with the Bridgetown Camp School, this really is messing with people’s livelihoods and causing a great deal of angst and uncertainty in the community.”
