❓ Mr Papalia questions the Premier about health and safety risks at John Curtin College of the Arts, prompting a heated exchange regarding funding and the principal's conduct. The Premier acknowledges the school's need for redevelopment but criticizes the principal's communication approach.
AnsweredQoN 272Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
JOHN CURTIN COLLEGE OF THE ARTS — HEALTH
AND SAFETY ISSUES
272. Mr P. PAPALIA to the Premier:
The Premier just told me to read the letter. I respond to
that incredible attack on that principal who is the principal of an independent
public school and who has spent the last 18 months in extensive consultation
with the Department of Education that identified John Curtin College of the
Arts as number one on the list of secondary schools most in need of significant
renovation and developed a master plan for future buildings. In that letter to
the parents, which the Premier has not responded to, the principal wrote that
those issues —
place the health and safety of
our staff and your children at risk and also prevent —
Point of Order
Mr
R.F. JOHNSON : Mr Speaker, that is by no means a supplementary
question.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I am being very lenient. There is to be
no preamble whatsoever. If there is a question you wish to ask, I will give you
the opportunity. I do not want to hear anything further.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr P. PAPALIA :
What will the Premier do today to protect the health and safety of the children
at John Curtin College of the Arts?
AND SAFETY ISSUES
272. Mr P. PAPALIA to the Premier:
The Premier just told me to read the letter. I respond to
that incredible attack on that principal who is the principal of an independent
public school and who has spent the last 18 months in extensive consultation
with the Department of Education that identified John Curtin College of the
Arts as number one on the list of secondary schools most in need of significant
renovation and developed a master plan for future buildings. In that letter to
the parents, which the Premier has not responded to, the principal wrote that
those issues —
place the health and safety of
our staff and your children at risk and also prevent —
Point of Order
Mr
R.F. JOHNSON : Mr Speaker, that is by no means a supplementary
question.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I am being very lenient. There is to be
no preamble whatsoever. If there is a question you wish to ask, I will give you
the opportunity. I do not want to hear anything further.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr P. PAPALIA :
What will the Premier do today to protect the health and safety of the children
at John Curtin College of the Arts?
AnswerView source ↗
I think I just read out a detailed list of the work that has
been done, but I will say this: if there are issues that put the safety of children
at direct risk —
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
If there are issues that put students or staff at direct risk —
Mr
P. Papalia : You made him runner-up principal of the year, he must be pretty
good.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : This question time is a waste of time, honestly. I am willing
to take the question seriously, but no-one is interested. I can understand why
you're not interested, coming from him. Opposition members are just a
farce. We saw it last week on LEARN when they did no homework—shallow.
Mr P. Papalia : It
is an IPS. He is runner-up principal of the year; take some notice of him.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I have given you the opportunity to ask a supplementary
question. Other members in this place might help the process if they did not
interject post that supplementary question being asked. I am sure the member
for Warnbro is interested in an answer, and from what is being indicated to me,
the Premier is interested in providing an answer to that supplementary
question. I do not want to hear from any other member in this place, no other
member whatsoever.
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
give the Premier the call, member for West Swan.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
have summarised the work that has been done at that school. I clearly recognise
that it is an old school and that the layout and the quality of the facilities
do not match a modern school, a new school or indeed some of the rebuild
schools; there is no dispute about that. The point I make is that the principal
may well feel aggrieved that his school did not get funding, but it is not open
to a principal to write in those terms to parents. It is the responsibility of
a principal to take those concerns to the Director General of Education.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
That is his responsibility. I was education minister for five years, and I have
a pretty good feeling about the way in which the director general and senior
people in the administration of the department should behave. If there are
issues —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
There are.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The opposition does not know that. The opposition was not right on LEARN, so
let us just a step back a minute.
If there are direct safety issues for staff or students, the
department will address those. I think they probably have been addressed. That
is not saying that the school does not, at some stage, need a total
redevelopment; it clearly does. I know the school. Students in my electorate
attend that school from North Fremantle; therefore, I take the issue seriously.
But I just regret that the principal behaved in this way rather than dealing
with it in a professional way through the department.
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition! Member for South Perth.
Mr J.E. McGRATH :
Mr Speaker —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Take
a seat, member for South Perth. Leader of the Opposition, I formally call you
to order for the first and second time today.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the third time today. I
have given the call to the member for South Perth. If the member for Warnbro
wants to ask another question, he has the opportunity.
been done, but I will say this: if there are issues that put the safety of children
at direct risk —
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
If there are issues that put students or staff at direct risk —
Mr
P. Papalia : You made him runner-up principal of the year, he must be pretty
good.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : This question time is a waste of time, honestly. I am willing
to take the question seriously, but no-one is interested. I can understand why
you're not interested, coming from him. Opposition members are just a
farce. We saw it last week on LEARN when they did no homework—shallow.
Mr P. Papalia : It
is an IPS. He is runner-up principal of the year; take some notice of him.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I have given you the opportunity to ask a supplementary
question. Other members in this place might help the process if they did not
interject post that supplementary question being asked. I am sure the member
for Warnbro is interested in an answer, and from what is being indicated to me,
the Premier is interested in providing an answer to that supplementary
question. I do not want to hear from any other member in this place, no other
member whatsoever.
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
give the Premier the call, member for West Swan.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
have summarised the work that has been done at that school. I clearly recognise
that it is an old school and that the layout and the quality of the facilities
do not match a modern school, a new school or indeed some of the rebuild
schools; there is no dispute about that. The point I make is that the principal
may well feel aggrieved that his school did not get funding, but it is not open
to a principal to write in those terms to parents. It is the responsibility of
a principal to take those concerns to the Director General of Education.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
That is his responsibility. I was education minister for five years, and I have
a pretty good feeling about the way in which the director general and senior
people in the administration of the department should behave. If there are
issues —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
There are.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The opposition does not know that. The opposition was not right on LEARN, so
let us just a step back a minute.
If there are direct safety issues for staff or students, the
department will address those. I think they probably have been addressed. That
is not saying that the school does not, at some stage, need a total
redevelopment; it clearly does. I know the school. Students in my electorate
attend that school from North Fremantle; therefore, I take the issue seriously.
But I just regret that the principal behaved in this way rather than dealing
with it in a professional way through the department.
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition! Member for South Perth.
Mr J.E. McGRATH :
Mr Speaker —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Take
a seat, member for South Perth. Leader of the Opposition, I formally call you
to order for the first and second time today.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the third time today. I
have given the call to the member for South Perth. If the member for Warnbro
wants to ask another question, he has the opportunity.
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