Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of my constituents to raise an issue concerning the closure of Nyanda State High School. I was saddened to hear, on 17 September, that the Minister for Education, Training and Employment in Queensland, John-Paul Langbroek, was going to close down Nyanda State High School, a school which is nearly 60 years old—a school that spawned Billy Thorpe and Lobby Lloyde and many other great people. It is a school with a greater enrolment number than Everton Park High School on the north side, which is being kept open. When I heard about the decision to close Nyanda State High School I immediately wrote to the state education minister, as per section 32 of the Judicial Review Act 1991, seeking within 30 days a statement of reasons so that I could go to the community and explain why their viable high school, in a high-growth area, was being closed.

Obviously, under the Judicial Review Act a minister has 30 days to respond. The Hon. John-Paul Langbroek did not respond in 30 days. I waited another 30 days. There was still no response. Now we are beyond 60 days where I am asking the education minister in this chamber to speak to his state counterpart, John-Paul Langbroek, and ask him to provide a statement of reasons as per the Judicial Review Act, as to why he closed this perfectly viable high school in a high-growth area. I think it is just so the asset can be sold off. That is shameful.