National

Schooling shortfall at Olympic venue's housing project

Apr 1, 2026

digital render of Sydney Olympic Park in 2050 — Questions are being asked about where children will go to school at a huge new housing estate. -PR HANDOUT

A major housing project at the home of Australia's last Olympics is on the cards, but details about surrounding schools remain scarce.

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The 2050 master plan for Sydney Olympic Park was unveiled on Wednesday, with predictions of 15,000 homes, 10 playgrounds, nine outdoor public spaces and four sporting fields.

But the new plan, including a reduced target for local jobs, has no firm plans for new schools, simply referencing that the government will dedicate land for schools.

"We've identified sites for those potential schools, and the work will be done in terms of the library and the other community facilities," Planning Minister Paul Scully said.

"The Department of Education has some triggers in place where it works through the number â€¦ the other sites have been identified, and the department will work through those trigger points as they need to make that investment."

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Scully referenced the nearby Wentworth Point High School as an available educational option.

Wentworth Point, which was rezoned as a residential suburb in 2013, was home to almost 13,000 people within eight years, including some 2000 people younger than 20.

But it has just one primary school, while the high school only opened for year seven students in 2025.

The state government has promised $3.9 billion towards new and upgraded schools in Sydney's west.

The 25-year vision for staged development includes capacity for up to 26,000 jobs and encourages investment in innovation, sport, culture and commercial activity

Some 430 hectares of wetlands, parklands and public open space will be protected across the state-run site.

It also promises reduced-rent homes in perpetuity, with a 15 to 20 per cent affordable housing target on government-owned land not currently subject to a long-term lease and five per cent elsewhere.

But the staged development is unlikely to dent NSW's contribution to Australia's target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029, with the state already two years behind schedule.

"We've got to make sure there's a pipeline of housing long into the future, because while the housing accord period ends on June 30, 2029, I guarantee someone would want to live in Sydney ... on July 1, 2029, and beyond," Mr Scully said.

"We're heartened to see the response to our planning reforms, but we do recognise that we are entering into a challenging period when it comes to the construction sector."