❓ Mr. Katsambanis asks about safeguards for students at Willetton Senior High School regarding individuals charged with serious criminal offences. The Premier declines to comment on the specific case but outlines general policies for student and staff protection.
AnsweredQoN 318Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WILLETTON SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL — SAFETY
318. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. What safeguards has the government put in place
across schools in Western Australia to ensure that our schoolchildren
will not be put at risk by individuals charged with serious criminal offences
who remain at those schools?
SCHOOL — SAFETY
318. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. What safeguards has the government put in place
across schools in Western Australia to ensure that our schoolchildren
will not be put at risk by individuals charged with serious criminal offences
who remain at those schools?
AnswerView source ↗
This is a student who clearly is
before the courts. One thing I have learnt over recent years is that involving
myself or commenting on matters before the court is fraught. I am reluctant to
do so simply because whatever I say, particularly on the record in somewhere
like Parliament, can be used in any court proceedings, in particular by any
defence counsel, and the courts look upon these matters very dimly. Talking
about any particular case is unwise.
In relation to the broader issue,
clearly matters before the courts of serious offences in which students or
staff are involved are taken very seriously indeed by the Department of
Education. A range of policies and protocols no doubt existed during the course
of the last government to protect schools and staff as best we can in those
sorts of situations. Obviously, our approach to misbehaviour, which is a different
matter, and to students perhaps bullying or behaving badly with teachers and
staff at school has toughened up significantly. The Minister for Education and
Training announced a range of policies, I think late last year, to allow for
much easier suspension and expulsion of students in that situation—a
policy that was widely welcomed by both parent groups and teaching staff across
the state. Our record is there that we are keen to make sure, as best we can,
that staff and students are protected in schools across the state.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.
before the courts. One thing I have learnt over recent years is that involving
myself or commenting on matters before the court is fraught. I am reluctant to
do so simply because whatever I say, particularly on the record in somewhere
like Parliament, can be used in any court proceedings, in particular by any
defence counsel, and the courts look upon these matters very dimly. Talking
about any particular case is unwise.
In relation to the broader issue,
clearly matters before the courts of serious offences in which students or
staff are involved are taken very seriously indeed by the Department of
Education. A range of policies and protocols no doubt existed during the course
of the last government to protect schools and staff as best we can in those
sorts of situations. Obviously, our approach to misbehaviour, which is a different
matter, and to students perhaps bullying or behaving badly with teachers and
staff at school has toughened up significantly. The Minister for Education and
Training announced a range of policies, I think late last year, to allow for
much easier suspension and expulsion of students in that situation—a
policy that was widely welcomed by both parent groups and teaching staff across
the state. Our record is there that we are keen to make sure, as best we can,
that staff and students are protected in schools across the state.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.