00:00Thousands of students across Broken Hill returned to the classroom today, but for one of its
00:07local school sites, Williama High School behind me, it remains virtually abandoned.
00:12It's been more than a year now since the discovery of a significant mould outbreak at the school.
00:17Further investigation at the site found that that contamination was widespread and there
00:22was also asbestos and lead paint within its walls.
00:27Following the release of an independent hygienist report in March last year, the state government
00:33announced that the school would be demolished and later rebuilt.
00:37Since then though, there's been virtually no activity at the site.
00:40There is still 24-hour security and the lights still go on overnight, but externally it still
00:47looks almost exactly the same as it did 12 months ago, instead serving as a grim reminder
00:52of that initial incident for the more than 600 students and staff that were displaced.
00:58They've obviously had a very disrupted 12 months.
01:02They spent first term at three separate school sites across Broken Hill before coming back
01:07together again in second term at a temporary pop-up site at Broken Hill High, which they
01:14will return to as of today.
01:17Twelve months on from the initial incident, there are still ongoing concerns from the
01:21school community about the level of communication and support from the state government.
01:27Their main point of frustration, however, is that the original site, Willyama itself,
01:32still remains virtually untouched and there is still no specific timeline presented for
01:39the demolition of this site and speaking to a former student from the site as well as
01:44a local teacher still working there, that just isn't good enough.
01:48We needed more support, we need more support, like obviously just because we have a sort
01:54of temporary fixed environment doesn't mean that it's all well and good, so yeah I definitely
02:01think the Department of Education could support the students and staff of Willyama High School
02:07better.
02:08We have contacted the Department of Education as well as New South Wales Education Minister
02:13Pru Kha.
02:14They say they understand the community's frustration about the incident and have reiterated
02:19their commitment to have a new school built by term one, day one, 2027.
02:26In the meantime though, the preparations for that demolition are continuing and we understand
02:31that they're due to start sometime this term.
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