❓ The Minister for Education and Training responds to a question regarding the Australian Education Union's pay demands, stating they are unaffordable and criticising the previous government's financial management of the education budget.
AnsweredQoN 1072Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I understand that the Australian Education Union has not withdrawn its demand for a 30 per cent pay increase. Will the minister inform the House whether such a salary increase can be delivered? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Roleystone, a former schoolteacher, for his question and for his ongoing interest in this issue. The total cost of the 30 per cent pay demand that is currently before us would be, over three years, approximately $600 million. Treasury figures show that the total demand from the teachers union over four years is in excess of $1 billion. It cannot be funded. Some students are in the public gallery today. I am sure this would be an interesting scenario for them to observe how Parliament works. There may be some economic or accounting students among them. This is what has happened: the previous Government routinely overspent its budget. When Governments overspend their budgets, there are only a couple of things they can do to mask it. One is to continuously sell off assets, which is what the previous Government did. One day the music must stop. If Governments are structured around unsustainable spending, massive problems build up over time. I advise every member of the Parliament to look at Ross Gittins’ syndicated column, which appeared in The West Australian yesterday. Gittins writes for The Sydney Morning Herald . The scenario we faced when we came to government was the same as the one that is now faced by States within the United States. Governments spent more than they could possibly manage to maintain on a sustainable basis. Their budgets were in deficit and were maintained in deficit. What has happened? To slash spending, many individual States across the United States are laying off hundreds of schoolteachers. They have shut down schools for one day a week. Some schools have been closed for a month at a time, because they simply cannot afford to keep running expenditure at the level that has been built up over time. This Treasurer is the first Treasurer in 16 years to actually try to explain to the people of Western Australia what fiscal responsibility is all about. The Treasurer of this State has tried to explain to people that Governments cannot run budget deficits in the long term. Spending cannot be allowed to outstrip income because, sooner or later, it must be accounted for. Unless we want Western Australia to be in the situation, like Kentucky, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina, of having to slash government spending across the board - A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Roleystone, a former schoolteacher, for his question and for his ongoing interest in this issue. The total cost of the 30 per cent pay demand that is currently before us would be, over three years, approximately $600 million. Treasury figures show that the total demand from the teachers union over four years is in excess of $1 billion. It cannot be funded. Some students are in the public gallery today. I am sure this would be an interesting scenario for them to observe how Parliament works. There may be some economic or accounting students among them. This is what has happened: the previous Government routinely overspent its budget. When Governments overspend their budgets, there are only a couple of things they can do to mask it. One is to continuously sell off assets, which is what the previous Government did. One day the music must stop. If Governments are structured around unsustainable spending, massive problems build up over time. I advise every member of the Parliament to look at Ross Gittins’ syndicated column, which appeared in The West Australian yesterday. Gittins writes for The Sydney Morning Herald . The scenario we faced when we came to government was the same as the one that is now faced by States within the United States. Governments spent more than they could possibly manage to maintain on a sustainable basis. Their budgets were in deficit and were maintained in deficit. What has happened? To slash spending, many individual States across the United States are laying off hundreds of schoolteachers. They have shut down schools for one day a week. Some schools have been closed for a month at a time, because they simply cannot afford to keep running expenditure at the level that has been built up over time. This Treasurer is the first Treasurer in 16 years to actually try to explain to the people of Western Australia what fiscal responsibility is all about. The Treasurer of this State has tried to explain to people that Governments cannot run budget deficits in the long term. Spending cannot be allowed to outstrip income because, sooner or later, it must be accounted for. Unless we want Western Australia to be in the situation, like Kentucky, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina, of having to slash government spending across the board - A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
I thank the member for Roleystone, a former schoolteacher, for his question and for his ongoing interest in this issue. The total cost of the 30 per cent pay demand that is currently before us would be, over three years, approximately $600 million. Treasury figures show that the total demand from the teachers union over four years is in excess of $1 billion. It cannot be funded. Some students are in the public gallery today. I am sure this would be an interesting scenario for them to observe how Parliament works. There may be some economic or accounting students among them. This is what has happened: the previous Government routinely overspent its budget. When Governments overspend their budgets, there are only a couple of things they can do to mask it. One is to continuously sell off assets, which is what the previous Government did. One day the music must stop. If Governments are structured around unsustainable spending, massive problems build up over time. I advise every member of the Parliament to look at Ross Gittins’ syndicated column, which appeared in The West Australian yesterday. Gittins writes for The Sydney Morning Herald . The scenario we faced when we came to government was the same as the one that is now faced by States within the United States. Governments spent more than they could possibly manage to maintain on a sustainable basis. Their budgets were in deficit and were maintained in deficit. What has happened? To slash spending, many individual States across the United States are laying off hundreds of schoolteachers. They have shut down schools for one day a week. Some schools have been closed for a month at a time, because they simply cannot afford to keep running expenditure at the level that has been built up over time. This Treasurer is the first Treasurer in 16 years to actually try to explain to the people of Western Australia what fiscal responsibility is all about. The Treasurer of this State has tried to explain to people that Governments cannot run budget deficits in the long term. Spending cannot be allowed to outstrip income because, sooner or later, it must be accounted for. Unless we want Western Australia to be in the situation, like Kentucky, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina, of having to slash government spending across the board - A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Roleystone, a former schoolteacher, for his question and for his ongoing interest in this issue. The total cost of the 30 per cent pay demand that is currently before us would be, over three years, approximately $600 million. Treasury figures show that the total demand from the teachers union over four years is in excess of $1 billion. It cannot be funded. Some students are in the public gallery today. I am sure this would be an interesting scenario for them to observe how Parliament works. There may be some economic or accounting students among them. This is what has happened: the previous Government routinely overspent its budget. When Governments overspend their budgets, there are only a couple of things they can do to mask it. One is to continuously sell off assets, which is what the previous Government did. One day the music must stop. If Governments are structured around unsustainable spending, massive problems build up over time. I advise every member of the Parliament to look at Ross Gittins’ syndicated column, which appeared in The West Australian yesterday. Gittins writes for The Sydney Morning Herald . The scenario we faced when we came to government was the same as the one that is now faced by States within the United States. Governments spent more than they could possibly manage to maintain on a sustainable basis. Their budgets were in deficit and were maintained in deficit. What has happened? To slash spending, many individual States across the United States are laying off hundreds of schoolteachers. They have shut down schools for one day a week. Some schools have been closed for a month at a time, because they simply cannot afford to keep running expenditure at the level that has been built up over time. This Treasurer is the first Treasurer in 16 years to actually try to explain to the people of Western Australia what fiscal responsibility is all about. The Treasurer of this State has tried to explain to people that Governments cannot run budget deficits in the long term. Spending cannot be allowed to outstrip income because, sooner or later, it must be accounted for. Unless we want Western Australia to be in the situation, like Kentucky, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina, of having to slash government spending across the board - A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
I thank the member for Roleystone, a former schoolteacher, for his question and for his ongoing interest in this issue. The total cost of the 30 per cent pay demand that is currently before us would be, over three years, approximately $600 million. Treasury figures show that the total demand from the teachers union over four years is in excess of $1 billion. It cannot be funded. Some students are in the public gallery today. I am sure this would be an interesting scenario for them to observe how Parliament works. There may be some economic or accounting students among them. This is what has happened: the previous Government routinely overspent its budget. When Governments overspend their budgets, there are only a couple of things they can do to mask it. One is to continuously sell off assets, which is what the previous Government did. One day the music must stop. If Governments are structured around unsustainable spending, massive problems build up over time. I advise every member of the Parliament to look at Ross Gittins’ syndicated column, which appeared in The West Australian yesterday. Gittins writes for The Sydney Morning Herald . The scenario we faced when we came to government was the same as the one that is now faced by States within the United States. Governments spent more than they could possibly manage to maintain on a sustainable basis. Their budgets were in deficit and were maintained in deficit. What has happened? To slash spending, many individual States across the United States are laying off hundreds of schoolteachers. They have shut down schools for one day a week. Some schools have been closed for a month at a time, because they simply cannot afford to keep running expenditure at the level that has been built up over time. This Treasurer is the first Treasurer in 16 years to actually try to explain to the people of Western Australia what fiscal responsibility is all about. The Treasurer of this State has tried to explain to people that Governments cannot run budget deficits in the long term. Spending cannot be allowed to outstrip income because, sooner or later, it must be accounted for. Unless we want Western Australia to be in the situation, like Kentucky, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina, of having to slash government spending across the board - A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
A government member: Why are they doing that? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Because they have no money. If we want to avoid being in that situation, we must maintain fiscal responsibility. We cannot simply do as the previous Minister for Education did, and sign up for agreements that are totally unfunded, and cost the State hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member for Cottesloe hates hearing this because it hits him right where it hurts. It questions his economic credibility. He hates hearing this. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He hates hearing it. In four years, as the former Minister for Education, the Leader of the Opposition overspent the education budget by $300 million. Can anybody believe it? Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett: We advanced the school system. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: He just said that he advanced the school system. What was the end result? At the end of the period of the previous Government, the number of students in government schools was declining, retention rates in government schools were at a record low, and schools faced a staffing crisis. In one year, the then Minister for Education was unable to staff the schools. At the beginning of one school year more than 40 schools across Western Australia did not have enough teachers. He had any warm body he could lay his hands on standing up in front of students. He left the present Government a legacy that it is still struggling to overcome. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: Could any minister have had a worse record? Members must understand that we live in the real world, with a Government committed to fiscal responsibility. It is the first Government for a very long time that is committed to managing the State’s finances properly. The Treasurer does not stand up and read the wrong budget speech. That is why the Government cannot afford to pay a $600 million wage claim. Nobody can afford that. It would mean an additional tax impost of $500 to $600 a year for each taxpayer in Western Australia. It cannot be done. Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: It is positively embarrassing to watch the Leader of the Opposition perform in this Chamber. The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The Government can afford a reasonable pay and conditions deal, which it has on the table at the moment. It is worth $308 million and is a step up from the $175 million offer that it put there in the first place, in response to a 30 per cent pay demand. The Government has come a long way forward. Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mrs C.L. Edwardes: What, with three per cent? Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The member does not understand. The member for Darling Range understands the deal. It offers the majority of schoolteachers in Western Australia between 10.5 per cent - Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: The deal offers the majority of schoolteachers in government schools wage increases between 10.5 per cent and 14.5 per cent over two and a half years. It is better than the previous Government’s deal. It is funded and paid for, and it maintains the Government’s financial objectives. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Warren-Blackwood, Kalgoorlie and Kingsley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
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