❓ Question regarding the WA Government's efforts to address the skilled worker shortage compared to the previous government. The Minister responds by highlighting increases in apprenticeships, traineeships, and school retention rates, while criticising the previous government's performance and budget management.
AnsweredQoN 729Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Mr Speaker - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the member for Dawesville. Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the member for Dawesville. Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the member for Dawesville. Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the member for Dawesville. Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the member for Dawesville. Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr N.R. MARLBOROUGH: I thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
The Minister for Education and Training is obviously a very popular minister! One of the biggest issues facing industry and the Western Australian economy is the shortage of skilled workers. Can the Minister advise the House what the Government is doing in this area and how this compares with the efforts of the previous Government? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
I thank the member for Peel for the question and for his assistance in this area of my portfolio. It is not difficult to compare what we are doing in training with what the previous Government did. The previous Government did absolutely nothing in training. On the other hand, as I have so graphically demonstrated in this Chamber on several occasions, we have done a lot. If I had any of my graphs here, I would be only too happy - Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: I could not find my graphs! They have now taken on such popular appeal that the members behind me are holding them up! The demand for autographed copies is more than I can cope with! If members look at the graph being held by the member for Wanneroo, the blue line represents what the previous Government did with apprenticeships and traineeships, which was nothing; the red line represents what we have done, which is a 40 per cent increase in three years. The outcome for 15 to 19-year-olds is even better. School retention rates - the member for Cottesloe would love this graph - went down under the previous Government. They have gone up under this Government. We inherited about 22 Aboriginal school-based trainees. We now have over 800. Thanks to the strong economic management of this State under the Treasurer and the Premier, and the other ministers, we have effectively more than halved youth unemployment. The graphs show it all. That is what we have done to assist the economy, member for Kalgoorlie. The former Government did nothing. It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
It is worth bearing in mind that we have had very strong partnerships in this area from people like John Rothwell, John Hughes, Dale Alcock and Peter Stannard, and dozens and dozens of other leading Western Australian businesspeople and industrialists. I am very grateful to the member for Peel, because last week, when he was close to death, he got out of his hospital bed, grasped the oxygen bottle, and headed to the airport. He then got on a plane, pulled down the oxygen bag, and flew to Adelaide, where I think he was wheeled off the plane. He then went straight to the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors Australia to reveal to the unfortunate Mitsubishi workers the magnificent opportunities that this Government is creating in Western Australia. People from interstate are showing great interest in taking up these opportunities and thereby helping us to alleviate our skills shortage crisis. It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
It is worth bearing in mind that this Government has had a more than 50 per cent increase in apprenticeships and traineeships in the south west, a 117 per cent increase in the Kimberley, a 35 per cent increase in the Pilbara, a 49 per cent increase in the mid west - members opposite never got anywhere near it - a 31 per cent increase in the wheatbelt, a 32 per cent increase in the goldfields - the member for Kalgoorlie will kill that if he gets the chance - and a 73 per cent increase in the Peel district. Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Bringing the education and training departments together was a challenge. I inherited an education department budget that was in absolute disarray. The previous minister, the member for Cottesloe, who now has the audacity to try to lecture people on this side of the House on economic management, presided over a budget blow-out of more than $300 million in his portfolio in four years. That is scandalous. Never before in the history of this State has that level of incompetence been matched. It is more than just that. That is only the historic record. When I became the Minister for Education and Training I inherited $60 million of unfunded commitments that the former minister had left behind. That $60 million of unfunded commitments was tied up in a legally binding document - the enterprise bargaining agreement. What a scandal! Had that occurred anywhere else in Australia the minister would have been sacked. That comprised an $11 million unfunded commitment for class size reduction, a $17 million unfunded commitment for capital works, and a $32 million unfunded commitment for teacher laptops. That led the then Under Treasurer, Mr John Langoulant, to write to the then Premier expressing his concern about the disturbing trend of individual ministers to embark upon expenditure proposals that were out of context with the budget. He cited as an example the then education minister’s announcements on matters such as reduced class sizes, which were not funded. He said also that individual ministers are attempting to capture the budget process, and that a classic example of that was the current proposal by the Minister for Education to expand local area planning. He said also that ministers were being aided and abetted by their chief executive officers. I had to get a bit tough with the CEOs and the people who were running education and rein them in, because their days of undisciplined spending were over. He said also that the inability of the education department to generate any significant productivity savings over recent years, combined with the problems in the health department, added more than $90 million to budget outlays. I will finish with this reflection by the then Under Treasurer - The end result is a budget which is now displaying significant structural weakness. That is what we inherited across government. There was total incompetence. Every marker of achievement in education was heading south. The Leader of the Opposition is still at it. The Leader of the Opposition went to Bunbury earlier this week and announced that Eaton Community College would be expanded to years 11 and 12. However, there is no funding for it. There is nothing - not one dollar. There is no concern that that will cost up to $16 million. That does not come into it. It is not funded. Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr C.J. Barnett: It will be $40 million. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: If the Leader of the Opposition is telling us that he will spend $40 million on expanding Eaton Community College to years 11 and 12, that is good, because that means that every other commitment that he made in Bunbury is unfunded. The difference between members on this side of the House and members on that side of the House is that we have a strategy, we manage our budgets and our portfolios well, and we deliver benefits to ordinary Western Australian people. The alternative is the incompetent, negative rabble opposite, who delivered nothing to Western Australia and blew the State’s finances, and who now have the audacity to try to lecture us on how to run the State.
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