Hinchinbrook MP, Andrew Cripps, has welcomed news that the Minister for Education has signed off on the name of the new state primary school currently under construction at Burdell.

Mr Cripps said he was delighted that the name selected by the local community through the public consultation meetings – North Shore State School – had been agreed to and approved.

“With the new school well advanced in terms of construction and still on track to open for Term 1 in 2018, now that we also have a name the whole thing feels very real” said Mr Cripps.

“I am excited about a new state school opening to help service the educational needs of the rapidly growing communities on Townsville’s Northern Beaches – this is important to me” he said.

“This journey began about six years ago in October 2011, when I asked the Education Minister in the Bligh Government what plans existed for new schools in the Hinchinbrook electorate”.

“I was shocked to learn that no future planning had been done to deliver any new educational infrastructure on Townsville’s Northern Beaches, despite the huge population increases”.

Mr Cripps said he was amazed that not only were no new schools planned for construction, no land had been purchased in preparation for new schools to be built at some time in the future.

“Since then I have pursued this matter and was very proud that the former LNP Government addressed this planning failure by setting up the Queensland Schools Planning Commission”.

“That process confirmed the need for a new primary school on Townsville’s Northern Beaches and I was pleased that in 2015, funds were allocated to purchase the land and build a new school”.

“In August this year I attended both public community consultation meetings where the local community had input into key decisions about our new school community, including the name”.

“I congratulate North Shore State School Principal, Patrick McDonnell, on his very strong commitment to engaging the local community in this process to establish our new school”.

Mr Cripps said it was very rewarding to see the new school community coming together and he was proud of the fact that he had been involved in driving the process from the beginning.