Hi Allegra,

Public school education is a priority for our community and I’ve been working hard to deliver greater investment and opportunities.

After many months of advocacy with the current and previous NSW governments, I am delighted that we have secured a $42m investment into high school public education in the east with the merging of Randwick Boys and Randwick Girls.

This is a big win for everyone who has been advocating for more investment in high school public education in the East. A strong majority of families in the area want greater access to co-ed secondary schools and I’m delighted that our community has finally been listened to. It’s been a pleasure to work with community group CLOSEast to advocate for this change, as well as state MPs Alex Greenwich and Marjorie O'Neill.

Licia Heath, CLOSEast Co-convenor, had this to say about the announcement:

“CLOSEast is delighted that the State Government has listened to the community and moved to action regarding public education in the East. A new co-ed school in Randwick and a meaningful budget spend to upgrade assets means families and kids in the catchment will benefit for years to come. Congratulations to all of those who’ve campaigned for so many years. This result is a perfect example of what can happen when our local state and federal MPs work together, regardless of their political affiliation, with a co-operative government for the betterment of our communities.”

Whilst many in our community welcome the decision to bring Randwick Boys and Randwick Girls together, I appreciate some students and parents may prefer to stay with single sex schools. Change can be difficult, so I will be pushing to ensure the NSW government manages this transition carefully and ensures that all students and their families are comfortable with the new arrangements.

And whilst this is a very positive step, there remains more work to do to support public education in our community. Next month I will join state MPs Alex Greenwich and Marjorie O’Neill in meeting with the NSW Education Minister Prue Car, where I will continue to stress the importance of planning for the longer-term and building a new public high school in the East.

Thank you again to everyone who has worked so hard for so many years on this issues.

If you have feedback or questions, please get in touch by emailing me on [email protected].

Thanks for your support,

Allegra Spender MP