❓ Mr. Rundle questions the Minister for Education about a perceived offer to purchase land for an inner-city primary school, specifically regarding a $40 million figure. The Minister denies the $40 million offer and accuses Mr. Rundle of fabricating the information.
AnsweredQoN 81Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INNER-CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL — LAND
81. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
I
refer to the minister's comments on 6PR this morning concerning a letter
received by the Lord Mayor of the City of Perth about the land
associated with the planned inner-city primary school.
The
minister stated that there was a letter that the Lord Mayor received that said ''purchase''.
It should not be in there.
(1) Did the minister read the offer
of purchase before it was sent to the City of Perth?
(2) How can it be
that an offer of $40 million to purchase land was made either without the
minister's knowledge or in error?
(3) Is the
minister's government prone to making $40 million mistakes?
81. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
I
refer to the minister's comments on 6PR this morning concerning a letter
received by the Lord Mayor of the City of Perth about the land
associated with the planned inner-city primary school.
The
minister stated that there was a letter that the Lord Mayor received that said ''purchase''.
It should not be in there.
(1) Did the minister read the offer
of purchase before it was sent to the City of Perth?
(2) How can it be
that an offer of $40 million to purchase land was made either without the
minister's knowledge or in error?
(3) Is the
minister's government prone to making $40 million mistakes?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) There
was a letter with the word ''purchase'' in there, but there was
no $40 million attached to it. I do not know where the member got that figure
from. I have no idea where he got that figure from; $40 million was not
mentioned in that letter. Where did he get that from? He made it up.
Several members interjected.
Dr A.D. BUTI : You just
cannot make things up!
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members!
Point of Order
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : I pointed
out yesterday that question time is for the government to answer, not the
opposition.
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you. There is no point of order.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr A.D. BUTI : I think that
letter was on 21 November. Straight after that, I got a text from the Lord
Mayor seeking clarification. I provided clarification straightaway .
We had a meeting in my ministerial office about a week later to clarify any
confusion. He was prepared to congratulate us on the original offer and laud it
all over his newsletter. What I did not show yesterday was the great
photograph; I mean, that is a good photograph there. The Lord Mayor is right in
front and very proud of the announcement with the Minister for Lands, the local
member and the Minister for Planning, with me behind him. He was very
happy with the proposal.
For the member's benefit,
we want to build an inner-city primary school that will be of crucial benefit
to the next generation of children who will grow up in the inner city. It is a school
that the local member has been championing for a long time and that the Lord Mayor
has also said is needed. We are also unlocking land that will provide potential economic benefit to the tune of $27.5
million to the City of Perth. As I said to the member yesterday, u nder
the Chevron–Hilton Hotel Agreement Act, that land can be used only as a
car park.
No wonder the Lord Mayor was very
happy to put our proposal to the city all over his newsletter last year. It is
an incredible offer in which we will build a world-class inner-city primary
school, plus unlock a parcel of land that we will not require for the primary
school for the economic benefit of at least $27.5 million, and the social and economic benefits of having the school there will
attract people to live in the city and therefore bring rates to the city ,
so it is a win-win situation. More crucially, as the Minister for Education, I think
it is the right thing to do for the education of children who live in the inner
city of Perth.
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members!
was a letter with the word ''purchase'' in there, but there was
no $40 million attached to it. I do not know where the member got that figure
from. I have no idea where he got that figure from; $40 million was not
mentioned in that letter. Where did he get that from? He made it up.
Several members interjected.
Dr A.D. BUTI : You just
cannot make things up!
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members!
Point of Order
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : I pointed
out yesterday that question time is for the government to answer, not the
opposition.
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Thank
you. There is no point of order.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr A.D. BUTI : I think that
letter was on 21 November. Straight after that, I got a text from the Lord
Mayor seeking clarification. I provided clarification straightaway .
We had a meeting in my ministerial office about a week later to clarify any
confusion. He was prepared to congratulate us on the original offer and laud it
all over his newsletter. What I did not show yesterday was the great
photograph; I mean, that is a good photograph there. The Lord Mayor is right in
front and very proud of the announcement with the Minister for Lands, the local
member and the Minister for Planning, with me behind him. He was very
happy with the proposal.
For the member's benefit,
we want to build an inner-city primary school that will be of crucial benefit
to the next generation of children who will grow up in the inner city. It is a school
that the local member has been championing for a long time and that the Lord Mayor
has also said is needed. We are also unlocking land that will provide potential economic benefit to the tune of $27.5
million to the City of Perth. As I said to the member yesterday, u nder
the Chevron–Hilton Hotel Agreement Act, that land can be used only as a
car park.
No wonder the Lord Mayor was very
happy to put our proposal to the city all over his newsletter last year. It is
an incredible offer in which we will build a world-class inner-city primary
school, plus unlock a parcel of land that we will not require for the primary
school for the economic benefit of at least $27.5 million, and the social and economic benefits of having the school there will
attract people to live in the city and therefore bring rates to the city ,
so it is a win-win situation. More crucially, as the Minister for Education, I think
it is the right thing to do for the education of children who live in the inner
city of Perth.
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members!
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