The next stage of development at Googong was announced in January having received approval from the Joint Regional Planning Panel.

Neighbourhood Two includes land for a kindergarten to year 12 state school, however the school is yet to receive the go ahead from the NSW Department of Education.

Country Labor candidate Bryce Wilson criticised his electoral foe, Deputy Premier John Barilaro, last week for not having delivered a school yet. But Barilaro has hit back saying a school would come in due course.

Mr Wilson said Mr Barilaro’s priorities were in Sydney rather than at home in the Monaro.

“It is unfortunate that parents moving into this fast-growing community are left with an anxious wait as their child reaches school age, knowing that $2.5 billion is being spent on two Sydney stadiums instead of much needed schools,” Mr Wilson said.

He committed to getting a school built in the first term of government should Labor win.

Mr Barilaro was dismissive of  Labor’s attack over the stadiums describing it as a “throwaway line”.

“The reality is we can do everything because we’ve actually run a bloody strong budget,” Mr Barilaro said.

“My timeline was to do all the study, the data, the research and to justify the school.

“That work is being done and I’m very confident Googong school will be a budget announcement, not an election commitment.”

While the school is thrown around as a political football, families in Googong are forced to find a suitable location for their children to attend public school.

Googong resident and mother of two Shannon Beck managed after a lengthy process to get her son Austin into Jerrabomberra School after moving to Googong with her husband and a young Austin in 2014.

She said at the time a public school was always included on the plans and advertising material for Googong. She assumed it would be ready by the time Austin was ready to start school this year.

Googong falls into the school catchment area for Queanbeyan South and Queanbeyan Public.

Mrs Beck said she now had a nervous wait to see if the school would be ready for her 18-month-old daughter Ainsleigh to attend or whether she would be able to go to school with her big brother in Jerrabomberra.

Mrs Beck said she was sad her children might miss out on the community environment of a local school where kids can ride their bikes together or go to each other’s houses after school.

She said it made it difficult for families to make long term plans and with the number of children and young couples in Googong it was an issue many would face in future.