Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to mention the community forum held on 23 October in Riverstone in my electorate and to commend the initiative of local residents for participating in what was a very insightful and constructive dialogue about the suburb's future and challenges to its future prosperity. I particularly commend the initiative of the organisers and hosts, St John's Primary School, including: Principal Marian Bell and her staff; the Catholic Education Office; David Catt from the Rouse Hill Times;Jade Wittman from the Rouse Hill Stanhope Gardens News; and other local elected representatives.

Principal Bell crystallised the views of many local residents when she decided to systematically examine declining enrolments at her school to try and understand the statistics that show more children living in Riverstone attend schools outside the area than within it. This is despite Riverstone's education facilities including: both a Catholic and government primary school; a government high school; and an independent primary and secondary college. Why does Riverstone not appear to be a suburb of choice when it comes to schooling? To extrapolate that further, why is it not a suburb of choice for retail, recreation or housing either?

I joined around 80 participants in small group discussions on three issues: the top three things we like about Riverstone; our top three concerns; and three suggestions to address those concerns. The results had recurring themes including: the strong community spirit of Riverstone residents; ongoing uncertainty about local issues such as rezoning; the Riverstone overpass; a sense that Riverstone was being 'left behind' as neighbouring housing and retail areas were thriving; the huge potential for employment in high-tech industries with the release of new employment lands and the construction of the NBN; and capitalising on Riverstone's historic assets. I look forward to turning these discussions into tangible goals.