NSW Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell was all ears last Wednesday morning on a tour of the Blue Mountains — the first by a leader of one of the State’s two major parties since the 2007 State election.
Mr O’Farrell’s first stop was Blackheath Public School where he heard parents’ growing concerns about continued use of unflued gas heating in classrooms.
Mr O’Farrell said he will raise the issue in State Parliament this week on behalf of the school’s Parents and Citizens Association (P&C).
“We’re happy to support your campaign of getting safe heaters in schools and we are prepared to find a solution to this issue across the State,” he said.
When asked by P&C member Richard Kalina if he agreed that the current school heating policy of the Department of Education and Training (DET) is a failure of duty of care, Mr O’Farrell said “yes, it is”.
He said the DET is instructed by the NSW Government to stick to its budget “no matter what”.
The opposition leader next stopped in at Valley Heights Rural Fire Service where members are still waiting for a long-promised upgrade to their station.
Mr O’Farrell was scathing of inaction over the project.
“Residents tell me the upgrade was first promised back in 1995 but nothing has happened,” he said.
“There is now a dispute over the proposed site and whether it can obtain the appropriate zoning to build a new fire station.
“While this blame game and buck passing continues, the Rural Fire Service volunteers will be forced to continue to operate out of the hopelessly inadequate existing station.”
Blue Mountains MP Phil Koperberg said he is continuing to lobby the relevant authorities to “take whatever measures necessary to expedite the construction of the Valley Heights RFS Station.”
Final port of call for Mr O’Farrell was a meeting with Glenbrook residents and business leaders on the corner of the Great Western Highway and Ross Street, Glenbrook.
The Glenbrook/Brookland Chamber of Commerce is opposing RTA plans to limit traffic in and out of Ross Street.
Mr O’Farrell was told by chamber vice president Angela Lougheed that such a move flew in the face of the village’s moniker as the gateway to the Mountains by making it difficult for tourists to enter the town.
With its original submission to council’s Local Traffic Committee rejected, the chamber now intends to lobby the RTA for a set of traffic lights to be placed at the intersection along with a pedestrian walkover to link each side of the highway.
The opposition leader said he intended to take the issue up with Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal.
“I do think it’s a reasonable request. There seems to be a degree of logic about it that I’m surprised isn’t being accepted by others,” Mr O’Farrell said.
“The problem with the Great Western Highway is that it serves both through traffic as well as local traffic . . . and the RTA can’t always assume that traffic arrangements should be made for through traffic, you’ve got to cater for local communities as well.”
The Member for Penrith Karyn Paluzzano has been involved with the issue, making representations to the LTC on behalf of the chamber.
The chamber remains unhappy with the three options considered for continued discussion by the LTC and is awaiting further correspondence from the RTA who have been monitoring traffic and pedestrian counts as well as reviewing accident data at the site.
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