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  • 4 hours ago
The owners of a small business ordered out of its premises to make way for a new school in Mount Barker say they were blindsided by the decision. A day after announcing the location, the education minister was fielding questions about alternative sites and a delay to the schools opening.

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00:02Mount Barker's MP was side by side with the Education Minister yesterday, at the spot where the region's new primary
00:09school and preschool will go.
00:10I'm very happy that we have got progress on this.
00:14But today, excitement had cooled. Matt Schultz meeting the owner of a tired restaurant set to be acquired to make
00:20way for the project.
00:21We just don't understand why this has been identified as the best site, when it will have an impact on
00:26an existing business.
00:27Walk the Duck has been there for nearly two years. They were told of the decision on Wednesday and given
00:3318 months to move.
00:34Lots of emotions, anger, sadness, like what are we supposed to do?
00:39It turned to social media, appealing to the community in a video that's now got a quarter of a million
00:44views.
00:45Customers showing their support with a petition to pause the acquisition and find a different site.
00:50The proof is in the pudding. The response that we've had is overwhelming.
00:55The Minister's not ducking from the decision. She says it was the best of 16 options considered.
01:01You do have to make some pretty difficult decisions in what is the best long term interests of the community.
01:07That lengthy selection process is being blamed for a delay to the school's opening, which was originally scheduled for mid
01:14-2028.
01:15The timeline was updated with yesterday's site announcement for school to accept its first students in 2030.
01:21I've got a lot of questions for the Minister on why it has taken so long for this to get
01:26up and running.
01:27The alternative would be to build a school and what the evidence suggests is not the correct site.
01:32Construction work is due to begin in 2028.
01:34As he does, he's done a lot of questions.
01:36He's done a lot of questions for us.
01:37He runs the wind, and he's done a lot of questions for the staff to meet again.
01:37As he does, he's done a lot of questions for the committee, and he's done a lot of questions for
01:37us.
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