❓ Hon Rick Mazza asks about the allocation, prioritisation, job creation estimates, and commencement of a $200 million school maintenance package. The Minister for Education and Training provides details on funding allocation based on school needs and the expected rollout.
AnsweredQoN 1066Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SCHOOLS —
MAINTENANCE
1066. Hon RICK MAZZA to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the 22 September 2019
media statement ''Major maintenance blitz: New job-creating school
package unveiled'', which announced a $200 million maintenance package
for all 789 public schools.
(1) How will schools access the
funding and what requirements do they need to meet?
(2) Will regional schools in more
need of refurbishment be given a priority for funding?
(3) How was the job-creation
estimate of 3 150, as cited in the media statement, calculated?
(4) Are these new jobs or are they
new contracts for existing tradespeople?
(5) When will the maintenance blitz
commence?
MAINTENANCE
1066. Hon RICK MAZZA to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the 22 September 2019
media statement ''Major maintenance blitz: New job-creating school
package unveiled'', which announced a $200 million maintenance package
for all 789 public schools.
(1) How will schools access the
funding and what requirements do they need to meet?
(2) Will regional schools in more
need of refurbishment be given a priority for funding?
(3) How was the job-creation
estimate of 3 150, as cited in the media statement, calculated?
(4) Are these new jobs or are they
new contracts for existing tradespeople?
(5) When will the maintenance blitz
commence?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I am glad that members are excited about the
maintenance project, because I am.
Hon Simon O'Brien interjected.
Hon SUE ELLERY : Indeed,
honourable member. The member might ask himself why that is.
Hon Jim Chown : You have been
in government for two years and you've done nothing about it.
Hon SUE ELLERY : Is that
right? Except of course —
The PRESIDENT : Order!
Leader of the House, perhaps you can respond to the question and ignore all the
unruly —
Hon Nick Goiran interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! When I am speaking, it will be a little bit like
in my house: you do not get to speak. I want no unruly interjections. Let us hear from the Leader of the House with
the response to the question she has been asked.
Hon Donna Faragher interjected.
The PRESIDENT : That goes for
you, too, member—active listening.
Hon SUE ELLERY : I am really
delighted to provide the member with an answer about the maintenance program. I
will start by making the point that in the last full financial year of the
previous government, its spend on school maintenance was $117 million. In our
last full financial year in 2018–19, our spend was $128 million. We are
adding an additional $200 million to what we budgeted for school maintenance.
(1) Every Western
Australian public school will benefit from a $200 million package to address
high-priority maintenance works and create thousands of jobs for local workers.
Every school will share in $35 million to address maintenance items or
identified minor works listed in building condition assessment reports. In an
answer to a previous question I said that the funding comprised two subsequent
packages of $80 million or $81 million; I think
it is actually $82.5 million each. The remaining $165 million of funding is allocated to schools for other targeted
maintenance works, upgrades or refurbishments. These works will include classroom refurbishments, electrical
upgrades, roof replacements/refurbishments, traffic management works,
the installation of solar panels, shade structures, repairs to playing
surfaces, paths and carparks, and toilet refurbishments.
(2) Funding has
been allocated based on the maintenance needs identified in the schools'
building condition assessment reports and the type, age and number of enrolled
students at the school. There is a 60–40 split between metropolitan and regional schools. The honourable member will
find that he might have two schools with a similar number of students, but one
school might be older than the other—for example, in neighbouring towns or within the same town. Those schools will
be allocated different amounts of money because the allocation is based on what
the building condition assessment report found was needed at that school.
(3) The
job-creation estimate is based on the expected labour component of the total
maintenance package.
(4) As I said
earlier, under the previous government in its last financial year, $117 million
was allocated to maintenance in 2016–17. In the government's
last financial year in 2018–19, $128 million was spent on maintenance.
The $200 million package is in addition to the normal maintenance spend, which
will create new jobs.
(5) Schools can
start spending their allocations immediately. Targeted maintenance programs
will be progressively rolled out over the remainder of 2019–20 and 2020–21.
some notice of the question. I am glad that members are excited about the
maintenance project, because I am.
Hon Simon O'Brien interjected.
Hon SUE ELLERY : Indeed,
honourable member. The member might ask himself why that is.
Hon Jim Chown : You have been
in government for two years and you've done nothing about it.
Hon SUE ELLERY : Is that
right? Except of course —
The PRESIDENT : Order!
Leader of the House, perhaps you can respond to the question and ignore all the
unruly —
Hon Nick Goiran interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! When I am speaking, it will be a little bit like
in my house: you do not get to speak. I want no unruly interjections. Let us hear from the Leader of the House with
the response to the question she has been asked.
Hon Donna Faragher interjected.
The PRESIDENT : That goes for
you, too, member—active listening.
Hon SUE ELLERY : I am really
delighted to provide the member with an answer about the maintenance program. I
will start by making the point that in the last full financial year of the
previous government, its spend on school maintenance was $117 million. In our
last full financial year in 2018–19, our spend was $128 million. We are
adding an additional $200 million to what we budgeted for school maintenance.
(1) Every Western
Australian public school will benefit from a $200 million package to address
high-priority maintenance works and create thousands of jobs for local workers.
Every school will share in $35 million to address maintenance items or
identified minor works listed in building condition assessment reports. In an
answer to a previous question I said that the funding comprised two subsequent
packages of $80 million or $81 million; I think
it is actually $82.5 million each. The remaining $165 million of funding is allocated to schools for other targeted
maintenance works, upgrades or refurbishments. These works will include classroom refurbishments, electrical
upgrades, roof replacements/refurbishments, traffic management works,
the installation of solar panels, shade structures, repairs to playing
surfaces, paths and carparks, and toilet refurbishments.
(2) Funding has
been allocated based on the maintenance needs identified in the schools'
building condition assessment reports and the type, age and number of enrolled
students at the school. There is a 60–40 split between metropolitan and regional schools. The honourable member will
find that he might have two schools with a similar number of students, but one
school might be older than the other—for example, in neighbouring towns or within the same town. Those schools will
be allocated different amounts of money because the allocation is based on what
the building condition assessment report found was needed at that school.
(3) The
job-creation estimate is based on the expected labour component of the total
maintenance package.
(4) As I said
earlier, under the previous government in its last financial year, $117 million
was allocated to maintenance in 2016–17. In the government's
last financial year in 2018–19, $128 million was spent on maintenance.
The $200 million package is in addition to the normal maintenance spend, which
will create new jobs.
(5) Schools can
start spending their allocations immediately. Targeted maintenance programs
will be progressively rolled out over the remainder of 2019–20 and 2020–21.
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