❓ Mr Blayney (Liberal) questions Premier McGowan (Labor) about alleged education budget cuts, citing broken promises. McGowan denies the cuts, highlights Commonwealth funding, and boasts about investments in Geraldton.
AnsweredQoN 625Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION — BUDGET
625. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Premier:
I refer to the comments of the Minister for Education and
Training prior to the state election, in which she said —
A McGowan Labor Government will
ensure wherever you live in WA, you should have the best educational choices
and support.
Why is the Premier destroying educational choices and support
through cuts of $280 million to education in the government's last two
budgets, including cuts to important programs such as the Herdsman Lake
Wildlife Centre, Landsdale Farm School, school camps and community
kindergartens?
625. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Premier:
I refer to the comments of the Minister for Education and
Training prior to the state election, in which she said —
A McGowan Labor Government will
ensure wherever you live in WA, you should have the best educational choices
and support.
Why is the Premier destroying educational choices and support
through cuts of $280 million to education in the government's last two
budgets, including cuts to important programs such as the Herdsman Lake
Wildlife Centre, Landsdale Farm School, school camps and community
kindergartens?
AnswerView source ↗
What a silly question! What an embarrassing question! First,
the figures are completely and utterly wrong; secondly, as I said earlier, the
commonwealth will spend $8.7 million on —
Mr A. Krsticevic : You got them!
Mr M. McGOWAN : We did; it offered it to us. What am I supposed
to do—knock it back? The commonwealth government offered us $8.7 million.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I would like to thank Senator Mathias
Cormann for offering that support to Western Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I have found him good to deal with. Whether it
has been on the GST fix that we jointly negotiated or the two road and rail
packages that we negotiated with the commonwealth government, I have found
Senator Cormann good to deal with. They have all been good outcomes. As I said—the
member for Geraldton was probably not listening because this place is like a vacuum
and they do not listen over there—around regional Western Australia
hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on all sorts of initiatives,
whether it has been on aides, regional learning specialists, Aboriginal and
Islander education officers, regional school capital works or science
classrooms. I was at one of the local primary schools in the Geraldton
electorate recently, announcing the opening of one of our science classrooms.
The principal, Lisa Criddle—I think that is her name—was very
excited and very happy that this government had invested in her primary school.
Then I went to John Willcock College and saw $20 million worth of capital works
being put in place. Then I went to Geraldton College and I was able to inspect
the work that was about to go on there. Geraldton—what a rebirth under
this Labor government! The member for Geraldton must be so angry—two
terms in government and nothing happened in Geraldton. Once again, Labor is
back in office and good things are happening in Geraldton. He must be the most
ineffectual local member in history.
the figures are completely and utterly wrong; secondly, as I said earlier, the
commonwealth will spend $8.7 million on —
Mr A. Krsticevic : You got them!
Mr M. McGOWAN : We did; it offered it to us. What am I supposed
to do—knock it back? The commonwealth government offered us $8.7 million.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I would like to thank Senator Mathias
Cormann for offering that support to Western Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I have found him good to deal with. Whether it
has been on the GST fix that we jointly negotiated or the two road and rail
packages that we negotiated with the commonwealth government, I have found
Senator Cormann good to deal with. They have all been good outcomes. As I said—the
member for Geraldton was probably not listening because this place is like a vacuum
and they do not listen over there—around regional Western Australia
hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on all sorts of initiatives,
whether it has been on aides, regional learning specialists, Aboriginal and
Islander education officers, regional school capital works or science
classrooms. I was at one of the local primary schools in the Geraldton
electorate recently, announcing the opening of one of our science classrooms.
The principal, Lisa Criddle—I think that is her name—was very
excited and very happy that this government had invested in her primary school.
Then I went to John Willcock College and saw $20 million worth of capital works
being put in place. Then I went to Geraldton College and I was able to inspect
the work that was about to go on there. Geraldton—what a rebirth under
this Labor government! The member for Geraldton must be so angry—two
terms in government and nothing happened in Geraldton. Once again, Labor is
back in office and good things are happening in Geraldton. He must be the most
ineffectual local member in history.
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