FEDERAL MP Andrew Laming has launched an election eve attack on Capalaba MP Don Brown, accusing him of presiding over an “extortionate” lease agreement between the Sycamore School and TAFE.
Mr Laming said the school was forced to pay about $260,000 a year for a building that he had had independently valued at $100,000 per annum.
Sycamore School is an acclaimed primary school for people with autism spectrum disorder.
Mr Brown said for Mr Laming to use the Alexandra Hills-based school to launch such an election attack was an all-time low.
“The lease is between the school and TAFE Queensland and I’m not privy to their arrangements nor was I involved in the negotiations,” he said.
“Obviously both parties entered into the lease freely.
“Also why would the Sycamore School appoint former TAFE Queensland CEO Ms Jodi Schmidt to their board, if the lease arrangements she signed off on were unfair in the first place?
“No one from the school board or TAFE have raised this matter with me.”
Mr Brown said he had worked hard to ensure the school started at the site in 2017, instead of the school’s proposed 2018 start.
“I have a great working relationship with the school and enjoyed their end of year break up party last Saturday,” he said.
A school spokeswoman declined to comment on the allegations.
Mr Laming said Mr Brown was in denial about the school and was aware of the rip-off over the lease which was with the Department of Education and Training.
He challenged Mr Brown to commit to an immediate lease review post-election.
“Mr Brown’s government takes more than half this school’s total education funding back in lease, for a dated building in a remote corner of the TAFE grounds,” he said.
“It is basically money that should be returned to local parents and their children with high educational needs.”