Oatley Electorate School Bus Services

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-115104

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)

Oatley Electorate School Bus Services

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (19:07:32):

I extend my support on behalf of the residents of my local community and, in particular, Peakhurst, Lugarno, Riverwood and surrounding suburbs for a direct bus service to Aquinas Catholic College in Menai. This is a longstanding issue as students from the area currently need to catch a bus to Riverwood, followed by a train to Padstow and then a further bus to Menai, which makes the travel time to school over one hour. Late last year I received an online petition—I have also since started my own—from local residents with 278 signatures in support of this service and I am committed to seeing it established for our local community. It is an ongoing issue that has gone on for more than five years. I know from my personal discussions with members of the community that many parents and grandparents are concerned for the wellbeing of their children under these circumstances.

Travelling across multiple modes of transport and waiting for connecting services, particularly during the early morning and the late evening, can be daunting for children. On top of this, it is also impractical that it forces students to spend additional hours each day travelling to and from school. Whilst it is only a 15-minute drive from the school to my local community, not all students have this option. The alternative takes them in a completely different direction through Riverwood and Padstow, with a fourfold increase in the commute time. This means that children are spending less time with their family and friends, and less time studying at home. I am married to a schoolteacher and together we are raising our two children under seven—we know that this is not a viable option for students and we need to see this fixed.

I thank the Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, for his willingness to discuss the feasibility of this service and for continuing to communicate with me on this important issue. We will work together to find a solution. I can assure members of my community that the Government and Punchbowl Bus Company are working together for local residents. Last year this cooperation led to a similar service being offered when a direct bus service to my former school, Marist Catholic College Penshurst, was provided for the new second campus at South Hurstville. This is fantastic for students living locally. Additional bus services have also been provided for the Georges River College network, both GRC campuses at Peakhurst and Oatley, and the school campus at Penshurst.

In 2016 the Government provided a direct bus to Inaburra School in Bangor to benefit students from Oatley, Mortdale, Penshurst, Peakhurst and Lugarno. More recently additional services have been provided to take kids from Riverwood station to Lugarno, most of whom go to St Ursula's College at Kingsgrove. This has given students more options when it comes to their choice of school because of the transport network available. Parents also have greater confidence that their children are safe when travelling to and from school. I say to all of my constituents that I will continue to fight to make this service a reality. Aquinas Catholic College students and their families deserve these services. I will continue to keep them and the House updated on this development as it progresses.