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Union officials demand additional funding for infrastructure upgrades as Centralian Middle School and Centralian Senior College merge to form Alice Springs College.
The Australia n Education Union's Northern Territory branch has issued a formal request for additional government investment to upgrade Centralian Middle School, a key component of the proposed Alice Springs College merger.
The union says the single lump sum of $500,000 announced for the upcoming conversion of Centralian Middle School (CMS) and Centralian Senior College (CSC) into a single high‑school entity at the CMS site in Gillen will be insufficient to address a long‑standing infrastructure crisis. According to union representative Brian Gray, the school's facilities are in decline: classrooms, the main hall and library are already overcrowded, the air‑conditioning system is ineffective, and the lift system is either broken or frequently non‑operational - rendering large parts of the building inaccessible for students with mobility issues.
Alice Springs College Merger Plans Require Overhaul
The departure of the current administration came with the announcement in late 2025 that CMS and CSC would merge to form Alice Springs College from the start of 2027. The ATS suggests that, beyond repainting, a comprehensive overhaul of science and computer laboratories, the home‑economics kitchen and child‑vehicle facilities will be required.
"If the government commits $14 million to new sports facilities right next door, why can't it honour the same level of investment for the core education infrastructure? " the union rang out. The Department of Education has promised that additional funding will be delivered but without specifying an amount or schedule, leading to confusion and frustration among teachers, parents and students.
Council chair Rachel Neary, who represents parents attending both CMS and CSC, expressed that a half‑million dollar package is "woefully inadequate.
Funding Disparities Highlight Needs-Based Standards
" She pointed to grants of more than $100 million awarded to science‑lab and technology upgrades in Palmerston schools and underscored "needs‑based" funding as an essential standard. Neary highlighted that Alice Springs remains among the lowest 3 percent of Australian schools on student outcomes, suggesting that the merger and corresponding upgrade must address this gap.
The union emphasised the demographic reality: with 1,700 children in public primary schools but only about 700 in high schools, the merger is seen as an opportunity to keep a greater proportion of local youth in a single, well‑resourced, public school. In that light, the conference argue that the new school should foster "future leaders of this town" and provide a modern learning environment.
Education Department Defends Current Infrastructure Status
The Department of Education's acting deputy chief‑executive, Miranda Watt, defended the current state of CMS infrastructure by citing the large enrolment history of over 1,000 students in previous years. Watt said that ministries have that additional space - at least in terms of "large areas" that could accommodate assemblies - and that the addition of walls and remodelled spaces will allow the remaining curriculum to be accommodated.
Price, she said, will be used to bring science labs and ensure disability access - citing examples like Driver Secondary School and Rosebury Secondary School in Palmerston. The commitment to provide more funds will be finalised "soon," Watt told reporters. In short, union officials urge the NT government to provide a realistic, adequate budget for the merger, arguing the public's investment in future education is as critical as past investments in sports and other sectors.
The conversation points to a broader debate about resource allocation for schools in remote regions and a determination that the Alice Springs College could become a benchmark for providing modern, accessible, and effective education to central Australian students.
Australia Education Northern Territory School Infrastructure Union
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