NSW Government Unveils New Education Plan: Macquarie Park to Welcome 2,000-Student High School — Sydney Property Auction Clearance Rate at 76%

Week’s Key Focus

The NSW government has announced plans to build a brand-new eight-storey high school in the bustling centre of Macquarie Park, in Sydney’s north. Scheduled to open in 2029, the school will accommodate up to 2,000 students and feature indoor and outdoor sports courts as well as rooftop playgrounds, which will be open to the public outside school hours. The project is regarded as the “final missing piece” in the area’s transformation from a traditional industrial hub to a mixed-use community. Under the former Liberal government, the plan was to work with developers to combine a primary and high school on the same site, alongside residential and commercial projects. However, after the Minns Labor government came to power, Macquarie Park was identified as one of eight priority precincts under the Transport-Oriented Development policy, allowing for an additional 2,000 homes around the metro station. This shift prompted the government to prioritise a new high school instead.

Although federal MP Jerome Laxale said earlier this year that an “education campus” with a primary school and preschool was being planned, the government ultimately ruled out building them on the site due to space constraints. Instead, a new primary school is already under construction in Midtown Macquarie Park. However, because its planning was finalised before the new policy took effect, it will not include the promised preschool. Once completed, the new high school will also result in redrawn catchment areas for surrounding schools.

Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning, Courtney Houssos, said the local community had been “waiting far too long for a desperately needed high school” and that the new project would provide certainty for families. Liberal MP for Ryde, Jordan Lane, stressed that while Ryde has always shouldered significant housing growth, “it only works if education and other infrastructure are built alongside it.” Construction of the new high school is due to commence next year, following submission of detailed plans to the Department of Education and a period of public exhibition.

Auction Results Last Week

Sydney: 914 scheduled auctions, 594 results reported, 451 properties sold, clearance rate 76%, total auction value AUD 514,335,829, median house price AUD 1,660,000.
Melbourne: 943 scheduled auctions, 721 results reported, 543 properties sold, clearance rate 75%, total auction value AUD 448,320,370, median house price AUD 971,250.