After a five year campaign to secure a new state primary school for the rapidly growing suburbs on Townsville’s Northern Beaches, Hinchinbrook MP, Andrew Cripps, is today claiming victory.

Mr Cripps warmly welcomed the announcement from the Queensland Government that it will allocate $90 million in the state budget to build a new school on Townsville’s Northern Beaches.

“This is good news for families on Townsville’s Northern Beaches – as the local MP, it’s something I have been fighting for five years, so it’s satisfying to have a win” said Mr Cripps.

“I think it makes sense to build this new school within the rapidly growing North Shore development and I’ve always said planning for another high school needed to follow” he said.

Mr Cripps said he had first asked the Queensland Government questions about the future education infrastructure needs of communities on Townsville’s Northern Beaches in 2011.

“I was shocked to find the former Labor Government had done no forward planning to deliver any new schools for Townsville’s Northern Beaches, despite the rapid residential growth”.

“When the LNP was elected in 2012, we established the Queensland Schools Planning Commission to determine the priorities future education infrastructure needs across the state”.

Mr Cripps said the 2014 findings of the Queensland Schools Planning Commission were very clear about the urgent need for a new state primary school on Townsville’s Northern Beaches.

“With enrolment management plans in place at Bohlevale and Bluewater State Schools and St Clare’s Catholic School at North Shore expanding rapidly, the situation was becoming urgent”.

“Earlier this year, I questioned the Education Minister, Kate Jones, about the need to acquire land and build this much needed school, to keep the issue front and centre in the lead up to the budget“.

Mr Cripps said this positive announcement was the result of a long campaign that he had undertaken on behalf of families in the Hinchinbrook electorate on Townsville’s Northern Beaches