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Community calls for Murrumbateman school

By Blake Danilczak

The Murrumbateman Primary School committee has been campaigning for a local school for three years now, to no avail.

Murrumbateman is approximately 36 minutes from the fringe of Canberra. It does not have its own school, therefore, nearly 1000 local students commute on the dangerous Barton Highway to attend school in Canberra or Yass. The Barton Highway was rated one of the worst roads in NSW and the ACT by an NRMA survey of almost 8000 road users in 2015.

Local member Pru Goward (Liberal) has said the issue should be addressed, however, the NSW government has not committed to the local school. Comparatively, Ursula Stephens – Labor member for Goulburn pledged $35 million for Yass and Murrumbateman schools in 2015 state election. The Yass Valley Council has been supportive of the local school proposal and has allocated land for a potential, future build.

Mike Reid is the Chairman of the Murrumbateman Primary School action group / committee and says that with the increase in Murrumbateman’s population, the strain on the ACT education system and the dangerous Barton Highway, they should have their own local school.

Local parents, such as, Vanessa Forsyth, are also concerned with the danger of the Barton Highway, as well as the strain sending her daughter to school in Canberra has on her wellbeing, and would strongly welcome a school at Murrumbateman. Mike says this is the sentiment of most local parents.

The next step for Mike Reid and the committee is to garner the support of the NSW Education Department to make a local Murrumbateman school a viable option for the booming community.

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