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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Plans for new Richmond River High Campus after fire, floods destroy historic building
For Leo Logan, it is the small things that make Richmond River High's historic North Lismore campus special. This is where his brother, sister and mother were once students, and his grandfather worked as a teacher. "Seeing all the old stuff — desks with people's names scribbled on them from 30 years ago — it was really cool," he said. But Leo spent just two weeks at the northern New South Wales school before it was destroyed by floods in 2022. He spent the next three years learning in cramped demountable classrooms. Now in year 10, the 15-year-old said he was disappointed he did not get the chance to make memories at the school. "It was quite emotional," he said. The Department of Education deemed the North Lismore campus of The Rivers Secondary College "unsalvageable". The 2022 flood caused widespread damage, and a fire in March this year destroyed much of the historic timber structure. Plans have been released for a new school that will sit above the Probable Maximum Flood height, within five minutes' drive of the old site. It will include more than 50 classrooms, performance spaces, and facilities for sport, agriculture, construction, and food technologies. The NSW Reconstruction Authority will fast-track planning approvals for the new campus, which is expected to be open for term 1, 2027. To meet the deadline, modular buildings will be manufactured offsite while civil infrastructure works are carried out onsite. So far, 16 of the 21 flood-damaged schools in the region have been repaired or rebuilt, with flood resilience at the forefront of planning. Repairs to schools at Tumbulgum and Condong in the Tweed Shire are underway, while work is in the pipeline to complete public schools at Murwillumbah East, South Lismore, and Cabbage Tree Island. Principal Luke Woodward said while he would miss the "beautiful" old school building, it was not what made Richmond River High special. "Our drawing area is vastly different from a lot of high schools that come from a particular suburb or a particular area — our kids live in communities, [they're] small village kids, farming kids," he said. "We have a really eclectic, diverse range of students and staff. Leo's mum, Megan Bennett, studied at the school and is now the P&C president. Ms Bennett said the new design reflected the school's identity and embodied the spirit of inclusivity. She said elements such as the yarning and dancing circles acknowledged the Aboriginal heritage of the land where the new school would sit. Leo's grandfather Ed Bennett fondly remembered the time he spent teaching at the school. "It was like a big family, and that was really important to us." Mr Bennett estimated that over 65 years, more than 15,000 students passed through the old school. His grandson Leo said students at the new school would still have a sense of being part of something historic. "Everyone who went there will know just how important the other site was, and they will make the new site just as important and loved by everyone," he said.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Bass Coast locals camping in the bush due to high rents and scarce social housing
Former nurse Veronica has lived in public housing at Wonthaggi on Victoria's Bass Coast for the past eight years. It is a picturesque part of the state, where rental properties are almost impossible to find. Veronica, whose surname has been withheld to protect her privacy, lives in public housing in the region. She said she was lucky, as more than 500 people in Bass Coast were waiting for some form of public or social housing. Veronica is not shy about telling people where she lives. It is part of her own effort to dismantle stigma around public housing and to call for improved funding for the sector. Veronica said security of tenure was a basic right that should be afforded to all people. "It really is a beautiful concept, that nobody is denied a place to live," she said. "People say to me, 'Why should we pay? Why should this be public housing? Why should we pay for these people?' "One day, you never know your circumstances … people who live in public housing are human beings, and they have a right to be accepted. "They're good people, you know." There are 388 social housing dwellings in Bass Coast, according to the Bass Coast Shire Council. According to the Victorian government, social housing is made up of public housing and community housing. A Victorian Housing Peaks Alliance report shows the Bass Coast local government area needs close to 2,500 social housing properties by 2051 to meet growing demand in the area. Data from the Victorian Housing Register shows there are 535 applications for social housing in Wonthaggi, accounting for about 10 per cent of the town's 5,000-strong population. Applications for public housing in other Gippsland areas, such as Morwell and Traralgon, are also strong. About 6.24 per cent of Traralgon's 26,907 population has their name down for some form of social or public housing. A winter shelter providing meals and accommodation on Phillip Island was due to open in early June, but was delayed until late July. Twelve one-bedroom units in Wonthaggi will provide supported mental health care when construction is complete. Founder of Housing Matters advocacy group Jessica Harrison said she had heard stories of people doubling their cooking to provide warm meals to people sleeping rough in the area, while others had resorted to camping in nearby bushland to avoid spending the majority of their pay on rent. Ms Harrison said "chronic underfunding" meant the region was unable to cope with the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness. Carol Maygar is a Wonthaggi-based volunteer spearheading the Owl Ute Pantry, a resource for people to stock up on food and basic necessities. Ms Maygar said she had noted an uptick in people coming to collect food from the pantry in recent months. "We don't ask [why], we only ask if people want a bag. You don't know what someone's situation is," she said. The number of people accessing homelessness services in Australia each month has increased by 10 per cent since May 2022. Homelessness Australia chief executive Kate Colvin said the problem just kept getting worse. "If I just look at one region, like Gippsland, we have had rents go up by 7 per cent a year for the last seven years," she said. Ms Colvin said the longer people were stuck in homelessness, the more it negatively impacted their lives. "People who are homeless have a much higher risk of early death … often suicide is the leading cause of early death for people who are rough sleeping," she said. "People just end up in despair for their future, and we see the awful consequences of that." Ms Colvin said turning the tide would require sustained investment in social housing, stronger income support, and more frontline homelessness services — especially in regional areas where support could be thinly spread. "Right now, homelessness services are turning away 72,000 people a year, just not able to provide support to them, and a further 48,000 people, we've estimated, not even getting through the door [to seek help]," she said. "What we're seeing across the country is local government responding to spikes in rough sleeping with punitive responses and moving people on. In a background statement provided to the ABC, the office of Housing Minister Harriet Shing said further funded projects would be announced in the future. A state government spokesperson said the government had invested more than $19 million in the Bass Coast to build 37 homes. Only 11 have been completed, with further projects to be announced. A Bass Coast Shire Council spokesperson said the council adopted an affordable housing strategy in 2023, and it would continue to advocate for more social and affordable housing for the region.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Severe': Blaze rips through cafe, factory at Guildford, Sydney
A blaze has ripped through a cafe and neighbouring factory in Sydney's west overnight. More than 20 firefighters were called to the scene on Byron Rd at Guildford at about 1.40am on Thursday. A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said the fire spread from the cafe to an adjoining building, causing 'severe damage'. The spokesman said one firefighter had been transported to hospital as a precaution because he had 'a bit of a fall' while battling the blaze. The owner of the cafe reportedly tried to bring the first fire under control before it spread to the neighbouring factory, as per Today. A woman in her 40s - believed to be the cafe owner - and the firefighter were both transported to Westmead Hospital. It has also been reported people were seen getting in the way of emergency services at the scene. NSWFR has said the fire is not being treated as suspicious.
