Expert oversight for State’s biggest ever public school building

Release date: 25 October 2017

The NSW Government’s historic rebuild of public school infrastructure, a $4.2 billion program benefitting current and future students, will be given expert oversight by eminent business people.

Minister for Education Rob Stokes welcomed the first meeting this week of the School Infrastructure NSW Advisory Council, which includes individuals with expertise in project delivery such as Robert Rust, Jim Betts, Julian Frecklington and Virginia Briggs.

“This group of eminent business people will help shape the education infrastructure needs of the next generation,” Mr Stokes said.

“In the 2017/18 budget we announced the largest single commitment to education infrastructure ever made - over $4.2 billion for new and upgraded schools over the next four years, including more than 1500 new classrooms which provide places for 32,000 students.”

“At the same time we established Schools Infrastructure NSW, a centre of excellence for assets and their delivery in the Department of Education to drive the planning and construction of school facilities in response to changes around population growth, new ways of teaching and learning, and social change.”

Mr Stokes said the new Council will provide advice to Schools Infrastructure NSW to ensure that responses to evolving education needs are innovative, sustainable and represent value for money.

“The Council will no doubt take a keen interest in the largest of our delivery projects including the new Arthur Phillip High School,” Mr Stokes said.