Most of you will already know that we were let down at the eleventh hour by Mark Nevill, Independent Member of the Legislative Council, who voted with the Government when the rezoning amendment was debated in the Parliament last week.

A number of SHOSAG members were present in the Public Gallery from 7.30 pm on Thursday 23 November to listen to the marathon debate which didn’t start until after midnight and finished at about 3 am.

Our presence gave support to those heroic Members of Parliament who fought hard for our cause right to the end. It also gave us the opportunity to demonstrate to Mark Nevill that we are serious about keeping the high school land for the community.

The debate was fiery with excellent speeches supporting SHOSAG and the

Labor Party’s Disallowance Motion given by Graham Giffard, Ed Dermer and Ken

Travers (ALP), Norm Kelly and Helen Hodgson (Australian Democrats) and Giz Watson, (Greens). Only Peter Foss spoke for the Government and read from a prepared speech obviously written for him by the Minister for Closure and Demolition of Government Schools, Colin Barnett.

In the end it was up to Mark Nevill, who for his own reasons, decided to support the Government’s plan to sell the land.

We were bitterly disappointed, particularly as we had received his support very early in our campaign. He asked us not to lobby him and that he would let us know if he changed his mind. We left him alone as requested, and then he did the unthinkable - he changed his mind at the last minute! Partly due, he told us, to lobbying from "other community groups". We held up our side of the bargain but he obviously felt no obligation to hold up his.

We received a letter from Mark Nevill on Friday 16 November, informing us that he had changed his position. His reasons were the Government’s "concessions" and because he had been contacted by "other community groups".

The "other community groups" were the Scarborough Junior Basketball Club and the Newborough Primary P & C.

We immediately responded to Mark Nevill by exposing the Government’s concessions for what they are – not worth the paper they are written on. Reminding him of the Government’s broken promise on the retention of the school gymnasium/hall and swimming pool. We also explained how we had given our wholehearted support to the Scarborough Junior Basketball Club and the Newborough Primary School since day one.

We fought hard to keep the Scarborough High School gymnasium/hall and supported the Basketball Club’s efforts to have a new venue constructed on the site. We believed and still believe, that if the basketball club had stayed with us we would have had a much stronger chance of having a new facility built on the high school site.

In addition, other sporting groups that supported our campaign would also have benefited from access to the school grounds and facilities. We received support from the Scarborough and Trigg Surf Lifesaving Clubs for a swimming pool on the site, from local football, cricket, baseball, teeball and Little Athletics clubs. There was also strong support for a well-equipped playground and picnic and bbq facilities for local families. Older members of the community will now be deprived of the pleasant and scenic walking environment they have enjoyed for many years.

We believe that the Newborough Primary School would be much better off with the use of the whole of the high school site with its playing fields and recreation facilities than the small amount of land for an oval that they have been promised.

Both these groups were "bought off" at the expense of the whole community, and in the end, provided Mark Nevill with an excuse to change his position to support for the Government.

We know that if the community had retained a united front we would have won the campaign to keep the high school land for the community.

The wonderful vision of a Scarborough High Centennial Park is lost forever as is the future prospect of a community high school on the site.

Many of our members put a huge effort into trying to persuade Mark Nevill to keep to his word. We gained the support of Ernie Bridge MLA for Kimberley who spoke on our behalf. A deputation consisting of two members of SHOSAG and two members of the Newborough Parents Against Rezoning of Scarborough High School site met with Mr Nevill two days after his announcement. In the end he was not listening and refused to reconsider.

Our sincere thanks must go to Alannah MacTiernan the Shadow Minister for Planning, who took our case to the ALP Caucus and won its support for the Disallowance Motion which she then introduced into Parliament.

It also needs to be said that the local MP George Strickland supported the closure of the school and the sale of the land. He was aided and abetted by the local Ward Councillors, Bill Stewart and Eion Martin. Elected representatives have to be accountable for their actions. History will judge these politicians, voters will judge them even earlier!

The City of Stirling has already approved the amendment of its Town Planning Scheme to enable 151 houses to be built on

the high school site. It has approved 20% public open space, however, this is not on the high school site. The majority of the open space is the former Education Centre/pre-primary site.

The Council has identified the whole site as being all the land bounded by Newborough St, Grand Promenade, Jackson Ave and Wilding Street as follows:

High School 8.9631 ha
Primary School 3.7744 ha
Education Centre 1.7889 ha
Road Widening 0.0354 ha
Footway 0.1366 ha

The Council Minutes of 7 December 1999 states "The majority of the 1.97 ha of open space will be located north of the Primary School…The balance of the site (8.72 ha) will be developed for 151 single residential home sites."

If the City of Stirling approves the construction of a basketball stadium north of the primary school there will be very little open space left for any other purpose.

The City of Stirling must advertise the intention to amend the local Town Planning Scheme to enable the housing subdivision to go ahead. We have been told this could occur any time now and may or may not involve a sign being erected on the site. The advertising period will be 42 days. During this time submissions can be made objecting to the proposal. The submissions and the City of Stirling’s proposal will then go back to the WA Planning Commission and to the Minister for Planning for approval. This process may take place over the Christmas/New Year period.

There are many individuals and groups in the community who have supported our campaign. We thank you all.

Contacts: Robyn Murphy 9246 3954, Colin Douglas 9446 3176, Christine Sansom 9341 7222, Stephanie Proud 9446 6929.

Page created - 2 January. 2001.  Page last updated - 14 August, 2006 15:08:48 +1000