Parent fury as $1.3m fund to fix asbestos-riddled playground frozen

Parents from a Western Sydney public school have been left furious after millions in funding for fixing an asbestos-riddled playground was frozen by the state government.

Pieces of asbestos material rise to the surface of the Crawford Public School’s playground whenever it rains – a byproduct of the school’s construction in the 1970s, when asbestos was not known to be deadly.

The school was given $1.3 million in funding to fix the problem and create a new playground and soccer field, but that money has since been frozen.

Pieces of asbestos material rise to the surface of the Crawford Public School’s playground whenever it rains.

“The kids can’t play on it for up to three days afterwards,” parent Kellie Grainger told 9News.

“After the three days we have to have the (gardener) go over it to make sure there’s no asbestos fragments.

“They’ve lost over 80 per cent of the playground area when it does rain.”

The school was given $1.3 million in funding to fix the problem and create a new playground and soccer field, but that money has since been frozen.

It comes after the state government announced on Tuesday that $148 million would be slashed from public school funding.

“They’ve lost resources that the kids need within the school,” parent Catherine Jones said.

“Our kids have lost out majorly with this freeze.”

Education Minister Prue Car confirmed to 9News that the money had been frozen, but promised the issue would still be fixed.

Education Minister Prue Car confirmed to 9News that the money had been frozen, but promised the issue would still be fixed.

“The work that the school needs to do at Crawford, both the remediation and the soccer field and the play equipment, that will happen at Crawford,” Car told 9News.

“That’s going to happen regardless of the adjustment that’s been announced for school bank accounts.”

The parents say it’s not the first blunder the school has experienced trying to fix the playground, with contractors unsuccessfully attempting to remedy the issue in 2021.