Media Release Thursday 22nd June 2017: Meander Area Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc. (MARRA)
Bodhi McSweeney, President of the Meander Area Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc. (MARRA) today said that MARRA supports the repayment of Building the Education Revolution (BER) funds wasted when the Meander school was practically given away to a private organization in 2016.
“All politics aside, this is an issue that should have been discussed with the closing of Meander Primary School.” Ms Mc Sweeney said.
“It appears the school closed illegally in 2014 via a ‘back door’ technique and controversy still surrounds this.”
The Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has said his department was working to “stop any further waste and recover taxpayer’s hard-earned money should a school close”.
MARRA has been alarmed about the huge waste that has occurred and the subsequent lease arrangement that has stopped the whole community from developing and using the Meander school site.
The Christian conversion program that has the lease caters for a very small, carefully chosen minority, and is paying $1 a year rent to enjoy a public asset funded by tax payer dollars.
The Meander Valley Council led by Mayor Perkins has let down not only the local Meander Community but the entire municipality by giving away this public asset for a peppercorn rent to a private organisation via an extremely questionable process.
The State Government has had its head in the sand over the school closure and subsequent lease of the site to Teen Challenge’s fundamentalist program proposal.
“We hope the State Government has to pay the BER funds back. Doing so may help to keep it more in tune with future community issues and school closures, and properly consider how the sites and related investment can be used for the benefit of all, not just a select few.” Ms Mc Sweeney said.
Bodhi McSweeney, President of the Meander Area Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc. (MARRA)
