❓ A parliamentary question regarding unpaid wages from the Balga Works program, an unauthorised initiative by Balga Senior High School. The Minister acknowledges the issue, ongoing investigations, and declines intervention pending their outcome.
AnsweredQoN 158Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BALGA WORKS PROGRAM - OUTSTANDING WAGES
(1) Why has the minister turned his back on the former employees of the Balga Works program by refusing to pay outstanding wages from a program to which the Department of Education and Training and Balga Senior High School provided unauthorised funding? (2) Why did the Department of Education and Training start paying wages to some workers last June and then stop? (3) Why is the minister punishing those dedicated employees for the minister’s incompetence? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN
(1) Why has the minister turned his back on the former employees of the Balga Works program by refusing to pay outstanding wages from a program to which the Department of Education and Training and Balga Senior High School provided unauthorised funding? (2) Why did the Department of Education and Training start paying wages to some workers last June and then stop? (3) Why is the minister punishing those dedicated employees for the minister’s incompetence? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
(2) Why did the Department of Education and Training start paying wages to some workers last June and then stop? (3) Why is the minister punishing those dedicated employees for the minister’s incompetence? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
(3) Why is the minister punishing those dedicated employees for the minister’s incompetence? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
(1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
(2) Why did the Department of Education and Training start paying wages to some workers last June and then stop? (3) Why is the minister punishing those dedicated employees for the minister’s incompetence? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
(3) Why is the minister punishing those dedicated employees for the minister’s incompetence? Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
I thank the member for Murdoch for the question. (1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
(1)-(3) This is a matter that received some considerable attention last year. My recollection is that the principal of the school, Mr Hammond, came up with a project known as Balga Works. It was a plan involving a private consortium that would attempt to get some local young people into appropriate training and to provide measures that would assist them to get into the workforce at the conclusion of their studies. From my recollection, Mr Hammond undertook this process without authorisation and outside the authority that he had as principal of that high school. He got the parents and citizens association involved in part of the program and the P&C invested some of its resources into the plan. However, the plan appears to have become unstuck, and some individuals involved in the Balga Works program are now subject to some investigation by the police and by the public service investigation unit. Those investigations are now in train and are ongoing. I do not propose to intervene in these investigations; I want them to run their course. I have considered reimbursement to the P&C from taxpayers for funds that it had invested. The advice I have received is that the P&C also acted outside the scope of the authority that was provided to the principal. The P&C has not requested that its money be reimbursed. That is where the issue currently stands, and I will await the outcome of investigations by the police and the public service investigation unit before taking any further action. The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
The SPEAKER : Question time has now finished.
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