Media Release Carers Alliance
9 December, 2009
Premier Keneally called on to show leadership – delay the decision on Dalwood’s closure
Carers Alliance backs parents of students from Dalwood Assessment Centre in their call for
Premier Kristina Keneally to step in and delay the decision to close this vital facility until an
appropriate alternative is fully developed.
Dalwood Assessment Centre at Seaforth in Sydney is a residential intensive learning facility for
students from rural and remote NSW. Students receive intensive learning therapies in a short-stay
program which has been successful for over 35 years. In November the NSW government decided
to close this facility without warning or consultation.
“Vulnerable children with learning difficulties are an easy mark for a government wanting to slash
costs at any price.’ said Mary Lou Carter, party Secretary of Carers Alliance. “The NSW
government is looking for savings in all the wrong places and cashing in the future of rural children
who need intensive learning therapies unavailable in the bush. On the one hand we have a Federal
government trying to lessen the impact of disadvantage for students while on the other we have a
state government adding to it, the ultimate blame-game irony”
Michelle Bolte and Angela Brown from the Dalwood and Palm Avenue Parent Group both have
children at Dalwood. “The rural community feels betrayed by the duplicity and haste with which
government made this decision with no consultation whatsoever.” said Ms Brown. “Not only will our
children suffer, we are also concerned for the more than one hundred children due to be assessed
in 2010, to say nothing of the 230 rural children who each year will not have access to this vital
facility” added Ms Bolte.
David Cameron from the Isolated Childrens’ Parents Association (ICPA) said: “This one-of-a-kind
facility serves the entire state and after 35 successful years closing it is simply bad policy which
will impoverish rural communities. It is rural children who are robbed of opportunity, that is the real
tragedy of this decision. This devastating decision was made without warning and has taken
parents, teachers and staff completely by surprise. Consultation after the event is just window-
dressing.”
“Dalwood is a neat and effective teaching facility offering intensive learning therapies in a
residential setting, for rural children with diverse learning problems such as dyslexia and speech
impairments. Through short-term stays the children receive these intensive therapies in a program
that has helped thousands of rural children overcome learning difficulties allowing them to prosper
and contribute to the richness of their community life.” said Mary Lou Carter.
Carter concludes by saying: “Carers Alliance calls on our new Premier Kristina Keneally to treat the
rural community with respect and to at least delay the decision for a year so there is time to
develop an alternative. That is the fair and decent thing to do. At the moment there is no credible
alternative. Delaying this decision will stamp Ms Keneally’s authority and leadership on NSW and
demonstrate how she will protect the vulnerable in all our communities. To do otherwise shows it’s
business as usual in NSW and the devil take the hindmost.”
Contact: Dalwood & Palm Avenue Parent Group: Michelle Bolte 0428 454 145 and Angela
Brown 0412 357 006
Isolated Children’s Parents Assoc: David Campbell (President) 0427 005 040 /02 6796 5166
Contact: Marylou Carter, Carers Alliance Party Secretary
0425 363 421
Carers Alliance is a national political party formed to represent family carers and promote actions to
help family carers support the family member/s for whom they care
NEWS 
