Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Billions of dollars have been wasted on the Building the Education Revolution program under this Labor government. Now another issue highlights their incompetence. Schools and school communities are incensed that their trees are going to be cut down as a requirement under the BER. New South Wales legislation requires that trees considered a fire risk have to be removed before a BER building can be handed over. Each school in a bushfire prone area that has had BER work has to have an assessment for fire risk—fair enough. However, no-one told many of the schools this was happening. When one school returned from holidays to find unexplained red crosses on 15 shade trees, the school community was understandably angry that there was no consultation.

They do not want to lose their shade trees—so badly needed when summer temperatures can reach 40 degrees or more. The school community have a building they did not want, without air-conditioning and with water tanks they cannot access. Despite belated consultation, this school has been told the trees will come down regardless of the merit of any argument it may put forward. It is unacceptable that our school communities can be treated in this way. The BER has been a disaster from day one. Labor has failed to scrutinise, to think through and to understand the needs of the local community or, indeed, consult. Many members of the local rural fire service who are involved in this school community believe that these trees do not need to be removed.