'Very unachievable': questions over change to Medowie High School price tag

The project a long time in the making has been criticised for cost blowouts and lofty construction timeline ambitions, but the Department of Education says the project remains "on budget and on track".

As part of its 2023 election commitment, the state Labor government promised a new $53 million high school on Ferodale Road on land acquired in the early 1980s.

Fast forward to 2026, and government documents show the estimated total cost of the project is more than $96 million at a different 6.6 hectare site at 6 Abundance Road.

The information was revealed under a call for papers by former NSW education minister Sarah Mitchell.

The Nationals member said she had always been concerned over the initial budget for the new school.

"I thought it was very unachievable to deliver a new high school in Medowie for $53 million," Ms Mitchell said.

"The reason we moved this call for papers was to get that information and get some ideas about how construction is going."

Ms Mitchell said that, with a more than $40 million shortfall, the community needed to be asking where the additional money would come from.

Port Stephens councillor and Nationals member Ben Niland was similarly worried about the jump in cost.

"I'm concerned that it may well tip to over $100 million before we get to the day we actually open the doors," Cr Niland said.

Pointing to his career in the construction industry, Cr Niland said there could always be other issues that arose early in the build that could lead to higher costs.

"Those things can happen on most construction sites," he said.

"The department will do their best to try and mitigate cost blowouts, but the reality is things just pop up."

Construction on the new site started in September 2025, with plans for all works to be completed by Day 1, Term 1 2027.

Planning documents showed 30 days of wet weather allowance over the course of construction, which Cr Niland believed was unrealistic.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the Williamtown weather station has recorded roughly 14 days of rainfall above five millimetres since September 2025.

"I think weather is probably the biggest risk I would imagine to getting doors open for term one next year," Cr Niland said.

"I come from a road construction background where we commonly allow for 30 per cent time lost for wet weather."

Ms Mitchell agreed that she was concerned about the timeline for the opening.

The Newcastle Herald understands that the initial $53 million estimate was for the original, smaller site on Ferodale Road, and that the figure was never costed or approved by the NSW Department of Education.

That estimate also did not include land acquisition, building a larger school, final design, furniture/fixtures, information and communication technology, flood and bushfire mitigation, upgrades to roads and footpaths, electricity, sewer, power and other ancillary works.'

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said there was no cost increase for the project on Abundance Road.

"The project is on budget and on track for completion for Day 1 Term 1 2027," they said.

Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said the project was running on time and on budget.

"After years of being told by the Liberals that a local high school wasn't needed, our government is ensuring families in the growing Medowie community have access to a quality public education close to home," Ms Houssos said.

The department's documents show that construction is expected to be completed by December 2026 for a 2027 start date.

The new school location on Abundance Road was chosen due to the Ferodale Road site being ruled out due to investigations identifying significant biodiversity values.

The first stage of the school was expected to fit up to 640 students with master-planning for 1000 students.