More than 5000 trees have been chopped down at schools across NSW with $13 million spent on "tree safety works" following the playground accident in February in which eight-year-old Bridget Wright was killed by a falling limb from a gum tree.
The Department of Education confirmed that arborist assessments had been completed for 1960 out of 2181 school sites (89 per cent) and that 5042 trees had been removed. Arborists recommended lopping and removal of trees at 1587 school sites and the work is expected to be completed by the end of next month.
But the program, financed by the department, has been condemned as a knee-jerk reaction by one of the country's leading arborists who confirmed that he had been paid for work under the scheme.
The seven-metre branch fell from the tree at Pitt Town Public School at lunchtime as children settled to eat their lunches after the 1pm bell. Two other children, Matilda Hurst, 5, and her brother Thomas, 7, as well as teacher Warren Minton, were injured.
The tree was immediately removed. Bridget's father James Wright later told Fairfax: "I haven't broken down yet. At some point I am going to break down, I'm going to go to a big puddle on the floor and that's when it is really going to hit home."
Now Veritas Law Firm has been engaged by the Wright and Hurst families to investigate legal action against the Education Department.
Managing director Ramy Qutami said: "It has been six months since the accident and no admission of liability or assistance provided, despite such requests being made. The families are considering legal action."
At the time Mark Hartley, a director of peak industry body Arboriculture Australia, visited the school and photographed the damaged branch which he said had sustained a fracture probably about three months before the accident.
He said he had inspected trees at 50 or 60 schools. "It's a knee-jerk reaction," he said. "I haven't had any urgent works but there has been work done at a number of them. It's a huge amount of expenditure. If it was aimed at trying to prevent another fatality it is entirely ineffective.
What do you think? A sensible precaution or a waste of money?
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Read more:
www.smh.com.au/nsw/5000-trees-chopped-down-at-nsw-schools-after-bridget-wright-killed-in-playgrou...