Bathurst mayor Gary Rush says he will push the case for the city to host a new TAFE digital education headquarters at a meeting later this month.
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Cr Rush said he will be meeting soon with NSW Minister for Skills John Barilaro and will take the opportunity to lobby on the city’s behalf.
”I will be asking what the government plans are [for the headquarters], and pushing the case for Bathurst,” he said.
“We really do believe that Bathurst is a regional centre of educational excellence and to house that section of TAFE here in Bathurst would be a tremendous addition to the city.”
I will be asking what the government plans are and pushing the case for Bathurst.
- Mayor Gary Rush
Up to 60 people are likely to be employed at the headquarters, which the NSW Government says will be set up somewhere in regional NSW.
The headquarters – created out of the NSW Government’s TAFE shake-up announced in July – will develop and deliver TAFE digital programs and courses.
Both Cr Rush and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole have previously identified a 10,000 square metre site adjacent to Bathurst TAFE on Panorama Avenue as a suitable location for the headquarters.
Council bought the site, between Land and Property Information and Bathurst TAFE, about four years ago for future development as a technology park.
Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has been aggressively pushing the case for Armidale to host the digital education headquarters.
“Most regional centres have space and sporting facilities, but Armidale also boasts the whole gamut of schools – public, private, Catholic and alternative – a renowned university, and a situation that provides its residents access to some of Australia’s greatest wilderness, including several World Heritage Areas,” he said earlier this year.
NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant has previously said the location of the digital education headquarters will be dependent on National Broadband Network (NBN) capacity.