❓ The Minister for Education addresses concerns about the impact of the Gallop Government's non-compulsory school fees policy on school finances, asserting that school bank balances have increased due to parental contributions and increased government funding, contrary to opposition predictions.
AnsweredQoN 500Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Will the minister advise the House what impact the Gallop Government’s school fees policy has had, if any, on school bank balances? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and for her continual advocacy for education issues in her electorate. This year, 2003, was supposed to be the year when the world came to an end as far as our government high schools go because of our policy of non-compulsory school fees for years 8 to 10. It was predicted that the schools would suffer huge financial shortages because parents would simply refuse to pay. As a matter of fact, I am sure that every member in this House will remember the activities of the member for Mitchell when he actively encouraged parents in his electorate to not pay their children’s school fees. That was one of the most foolish acts that any member in the history of the Western Australia Parliament has ever carried out, and I think he has lived to regret it. He does not have a lot of support for it in his electorate, put it that way. In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and for her continual advocacy for education issues in her electorate. This year, 2003, was supposed to be the year when the world came to an end as far as our government high schools go because of our policy of non-compulsory school fees for years 8 to 10. It was predicted that the schools would suffer huge financial shortages because parents would simply refuse to pay. As a matter of fact, I am sure that every member in this House will remember the activities of the member for Mitchell when he actively encouraged parents in his electorate to not pay their children’s school fees. That was one of the most foolish acts that any member in the history of the Western Australia Parliament has ever carried out, and I think he has lived to regret it. He does not have a lot of support for it in his electorate, put it that way. In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and for her continual advocacy for education issues in her electorate. This year, 2003, was supposed to be the year when the world came to an end as far as our government high schools go because of our policy of non-compulsory school fees for years 8 to 10. It was predicted that the schools would suffer huge financial shortages because parents would simply refuse to pay. As a matter of fact, I am sure that every member in this House will remember the activities of the member for Mitchell when he actively encouraged parents in his electorate to not pay their children’s school fees. That was one of the most foolish acts that any member in the history of the Western Australia Parliament has ever carried out, and I think he has lived to regret it. He does not have a lot of support for it in his electorate, put it that way. In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and for her continual advocacy for education issues in her electorate. This year, 2003, was supposed to be the year when the world came to an end as far as our government high schools go because of our policy of non-compulsory school fees for years 8 to 10. It was predicted that the schools would suffer huge financial shortages because parents would simply refuse to pay. As a matter of fact, I am sure that every member in this House will remember the activities of the member for Mitchell when he actively encouraged parents in his electorate to not pay their children’s school fees. That was one of the most foolish acts that any member in the history of the Western Australia Parliament has ever carried out, and I think he has lived to regret it. He does not have a lot of support for it in his electorate, put it that way. In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
I thank the member for Swan Hills for the question and for her continual advocacy for education issues in her electorate. This year, 2003, was supposed to be the year when the world came to an end as far as our government high schools go because of our policy of non-compulsory school fees for years 8 to 10. It was predicted that the schools would suffer huge financial shortages because parents would simply refuse to pay. As a matter of fact, I am sure that every member in this House will remember the activities of the member for Mitchell when he actively encouraged parents in his electorate to not pay their children’s school fees. That was one of the most foolish acts that any member in the history of the Western Australia Parliament has ever carried out, and I think he has lived to regret it. He does not have a lot of support for it in his electorate, put it that way. In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
In fact, contrary to the prediction that schools would be short of funds, the amount of money available to schools, as shown in the school bank balances this year, has increased substantially. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we were right and those opposite were wrong about the basic human nature of parents. We said that we believed parents would continue to contribute because they want the best for their children. Those opposite said that parents would not continue to contribute because, out of base motives, they would refuse to pay anything that they did not have to pay by law. We were proved right. We believe in the optimistic nature of humanity; they do not. The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
The second reason is that the State Government actively placed more money into the schools. It funded the schools to a greater extent than the previous Government or the current Opposition would have done. First of all, we set aside about $1 million in anticipation of a shortfall in the fees. To alleviate the burden on families, we then provided $100 in fee relief to parents for every high school student in Western Australia - every student, not just those in years 8 to 10. As I have said in this Chamber plenty of times before - no-one has contradicted me - this is the only State Government in Australia’s history to reduce school fees, in contrast with the action taken by the previous Government. In fact, the $100 reduction per student amounted to about a 40 per cent reduction in school fees. I am very proud of the fact that we have been able to do that. This Government has reduced the burden on parents because it values education, as the Premier said before. That is the most important thing that State Governments could do. Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Although the Opposition is making a bit of racket here today, it is interesting that it has gone quiet on the issue. One of the reasons is that it is now facing this challenge: what will it do? What will its policy be at the next election? First of all, will it make school fees compulsory, and will it remove the $100 discount? It is classic bad politics. The Opposition has painted itself into a corner because it is so stupid that it could not see what it was doing. On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
On the weekend, the Sunday Times produced a chart to show all its readers in Western Australia how much the schools have in their bank accounts. The figure shows that the amount in school bank accounts has increased by 16 per cent in a 12-month period. It has increased from $79 million to nearly $94 million. Not only was our policy the correct policy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Opposition members hate this; they really hate it. Every time we point out that we are doing something for kids in government schools, they bark; they hate it. Every time we say we are doing something for parents of children in working-class or Labor areas, they bark; they absolutely hate it. They are very foolish. Not only has the amount of - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
The SPEAKER: Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Not only has the amount of money in schools’ bank accounts increased, but also our faith in the parents of Western Australia has been vindicated.
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