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GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: Mayor Clare McLaughlin with Minister for Energy and Mining, the Hon Dan van Holst Pellekaan, at the Whyalla steelworks last weekend.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Mayor Clare McLaughlin has received high-level support for her campaign to ensure three Whyalla high school sites are repurposed positively when the city’s new $100m high school opens.
Speaking on Saturday at the Whyalla steelworks, Minister for Energy and Mining, the Hon Dan van Holst Pellekaan, said the State Government, in consultation with Mayor McLaughlin and the City of Whyalla, was seeking the “best possible uses” for the three high school sites.
Minister van Holst Pellekaan was representing the State Government when he made the weekend announcement that 650 tonnes of steel from the local GFG Alliance operation would be used in the new high school.
“When it is built it will be the best high school in Australia and another benefit will be what we can do with the existing three sites,” Minister van Holst Pellekaan said.
“We are working very closely with Mayor McLaughlin and the City of Whyalla to see what is going to be best for Whyalla … the best possible future uses for those sites is exactly what we intend to pursue.
“We are getting advice, as we speak, from Council about what people think would be the best next generation uses for the three high school sites.
“We are trying to get as many benefits as possible from this project.”
Mayor McLaughlin said Minister van Holst Pellekaan comments were further good news for the Whyalla community that has made its concerns known regarding the school sites. Mayor McLaughlin has taken up the cause with the State Government on several occasions and spoke directly with Premier Steven Marshall again last week.
“This is a great announcement from the Minister that these sites are a priority for the government,” Mayor McLaughlin said.
“We have been working very closely with the government and speaking with the Premier and relevant ministers to make sure these school sites are repurposed in a positive way.
“The community has concerns over these sites and want to see them used and not left to get run down and vandalised like some primary school sites have in the past.
“It is very reassuring the government is listening to our concerns and with the new school opening in 2022 we will be encouraging the relevant authorities to conduct extensive public consultation with our community to get its views on these sites.”
Mayor McLaughlin said discussions in Council around the three sites included using them for sporting facilities, cultural centres, community hubs and residential development that will create more jobs in the local building sector.