Dalwood Centre closes, more questions on Tillegra

My main post today, History of the New England New State Movement 2 - defining New England, is on the New England's History blog. This took a fair while to write, so just two brief notes here.

Back in December new NSW Premier Keneally pledged that the children from rural and remote areas would not be left without the programs the Dalwood Assessment Centre and Palm Avenue boarding school at Seaforth offers until an alternative was in place.

Now according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Centre has been shut and the 15 specialised staff made redundant. Health and education officials have not been able to find a new location to house the 100 or so children already referred for a four-week stay over the next two terms and cannot agree on an alternative program.

This is one of those small things that are very important to particular parents. I have been following the story in the Armidale Express where a number of locals, including The Armidale School Headmaster Murray Guest, have placed great weight on the importance of the school. This is one of those very silly things that the Sydney Government is prone too, promise then fail to deliver.

Meantime, the controversial Tillegra Dam has come under more questioning with a number of NSW Government agencies expressing reservations about the project.

Update

The NSW Premier has now denied the SMH story on Dalwood; the school just hasn't opened yet. The two stories are so diametrically opposed that it is impossible to make any sensible judgement at this point..