Labor candidate Jeff Drayton is fearful the NSW Government will be looking to sell the Singleton TAFE campus if The Nationals retain the seat of Upper Hunter.
"This government has already sold-off 18 TAFE campuses since 2014 and recently we saw them sell Sconce TAFE", he said.
"If we weren't in the middle of a critical by-election the $4 million from Scone TAFE would have been spent outside this electorate but our campaigning has resulted in some of those funds remaining in Scone.
"Should the Nationals win no doubt they will be looking at selling Singleton TAFE."
The NSW Government last week released a portal of all public lands in NSW in an effort to encourage developers to buy them up and turn them into private use. Parks clubs and even cemeteries across the Upper Hunter are listed.
Within this Government Property Index, more than 2,500 pieces of land are listed in the Upper Hunter, including the Singleton and Muswellbrook TAFE campuses, Burdekin Park at Singleton, Simpson Park at Muswellbrook, Bennett Park at Dungog, and Quirindi Showground.
Mr Drayton said it was such a poor effort on the government's behalf the portal listing Burdekin Park and Gloucester cemetery as being for sale.
"Of course they won't sell them off but there are 2500 properties listed and some of those could well be sold to developers and the communities would be unaware until its too late," he said.
"The NSW Government coffers get $800 million a year from the Upper Hunter inmining royalties and now they want to take our parks and ovals too.
"Rather than fighting for our fair share, the National Party are selling off our community assets. We are supposed to be getting something back from the billions we send down to Sydney but now we're being asked to give away more.
"There are thousands of Upper Hunter properties listed that could be sold off. Nothing is safe when it comes to this privatisation hit list. TAFE campuses, footy fields, parks and clubs - even cemeteries - could all fall into the hands of private developers."
In response NSW Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said Labor's scare campaign on the people of the Upper Hunter is just disgraceful.
"The NSW Government is not selling off the Singleton TAFE site," he said.
"The Labor party divested 20 sites during their years in government from 1995, including a site at Quirindi.
"The NSW Government is committed to training in Singleton. Since the multi-million dollar Singleton Connected Learning Centre was built in 2018, course offerings have almost doubled and significantly expanded learning opportunities available to keep more people in town and help them get a job."
Louise Nichols
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
