❓ The Minister for Education outlines the Cook Labor government's investments in regional public education, including funding for district high schools and teacher attraction/retention incentives.
AnsweredQoN 676Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC EDUCATION — REGIONS
676. Ms E.J. KELSBIE to the Minister for Education:
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Ms E.J. KELSBIE : I refer to
the Cook Labor government's commitment to support the students and
teachers at schools across regional Western Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members! The member is struggling to speak because of a cold or illness of some kind. Your interjections are making it twice
as hard for her. However funny you think you are, please do not interject.
Ms E.J. KELSBIE : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
(1) Can the
minister outline how the Cook Labor government is strengthening the quality of
public education in regional schools?
(2) Can the
minister advise how this government continues to support teachers working at
regional schools?
676. Ms E.J. KELSBIE to the Minister for Education:
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Ms E.J. KELSBIE : I refer to
the Cook Labor government's commitment to support the students and
teachers at schools across regional Western Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members! The member is struggling to speak because of a cold or illness of some kind. Your interjections are making it twice
as hard for her. However funny you think you are, please do not interject.
Ms E.J. KELSBIE : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
(1) Can the
minister outline how the Cook Labor government is strengthening the quality of
public education in regional schools?
(2) Can the
minister advise how this government continues to support teachers working at
regional schools?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) The
effort the member for Warren–Blackwood put behind delivering that
question is reflective of the effort she puts into education in her community.
I know that she is completely committed to ensuring that students in her
electorate receive first-class education. I thank her for asking the question.
This is a great story. It is a $20 million–plus
story. Last Friday, I was at Donnybrook District High School with the
outstanding member for Collie–Preston, who obviously is an educationist
and is also very committed to delivering education outcomes for regional
students. We were there to announce that the Cook Labor government is
committing an extra $5 million each year to strengthen education and enhance
student outcomes in the 51 district high schools across the state. That is on
top of the boost of $9.3 million that we provided in 2022–23. This is a
$5 million commitment per annum for the 51 district high schools. Nearly all of
those are in the regions. Only on Monday, I opened the District High Schools
Country Week competition at the Bendat Basketball Centre. I could see that
those students were enjoying their stay in Perth.
The whole idea of the $5 million extra commitment is to ensure that regional
students have the same opportunities
and the same choices as students in the metropolitan area. This money can be
used for schools to enhance curriculum delivery and student services and
to expand the access to specialist student support services in order for
students in the regions to be provided with the best possible education
environment. It can also be used by the principles to free up staff so they can
go on professional development courses and to secure support through the School
of Isolated and Distance Education. Kevin Brady, the president of the Western Australian
District High School Administrators' Association, has written to me
welcoming this announcement and the additional support that the funding will
provide to students in district high schools across the state.
But
there is more—there is much more! The Cook Labor government today is
also announcing more than $15 million in further funding to continue the
regional attraction and retention incentive. A total of 66 regional and
remote schools delivering secondary education will benefit from the $15.49 million initiative, which is up from 48 schools last
year. This incentive is used to attract, recruit and retain teachers and
school administrators in schools and remote areas that are hard to staff. This
is a very important additional financial incentive. Eligible staff members will
receive between $5 000 and $17 000 for working in remote and rural public
schools for the 2024 school year. This is a fantastic announcement by the Cook
government.
On top of the $5 million per annum of
additional funding for district high schools, we now have this continuation of the regional attraction and
retention incentive funding, and we are enlarging it from 48 to 66 regional and
remote schools. It does not matter where someone is educated, whether it is
Broome, Halls Creek, Esperance, Albany, Collie, Denmark, York or
Cunderdin—wherever—they will receive the best possible
education because the Cook Labor government is committed to every student in Western
Australia reaching their full potential.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Roe, this
will be the last question, and there will be no supplementary, given the time.
effort the member for Warren–Blackwood put behind delivering that
question is reflective of the effort she puts into education in her community.
I know that she is completely committed to ensuring that students in her
electorate receive first-class education. I thank her for asking the question.
This is a great story. It is a $20 million–plus
story. Last Friday, I was at Donnybrook District High School with the
outstanding member for Collie–Preston, who obviously is an educationist
and is also very committed to delivering education outcomes for regional
students. We were there to announce that the Cook Labor government is
committing an extra $5 million each year to strengthen education and enhance
student outcomes in the 51 district high schools across the state. That is on
top of the boost of $9.3 million that we provided in 2022–23. This is a
$5 million commitment per annum for the 51 district high schools. Nearly all of
those are in the regions. Only on Monday, I opened the District High Schools
Country Week competition at the Bendat Basketball Centre. I could see that
those students were enjoying their stay in Perth.
The whole idea of the $5 million extra commitment is to ensure that regional
students have the same opportunities
and the same choices as students in the metropolitan area. This money can be
used for schools to enhance curriculum delivery and student services and
to expand the access to specialist student support services in order for
students in the regions to be provided with the best possible education
environment. It can also be used by the principles to free up staff so they can
go on professional development courses and to secure support through the School
of Isolated and Distance Education. Kevin Brady, the president of the Western Australian
District High School Administrators' Association, has written to me
welcoming this announcement and the additional support that the funding will
provide to students in district high schools across the state.
But
there is more—there is much more! The Cook Labor government today is
also announcing more than $15 million in further funding to continue the
regional attraction and retention incentive. A total of 66 regional and
remote schools delivering secondary education will benefit from the $15.49 million initiative, which is up from 48 schools last
year. This incentive is used to attract, recruit and retain teachers and
school administrators in schools and remote areas that are hard to staff. This
is a very important additional financial incentive. Eligible staff members will
receive between $5 000 and $17 000 for working in remote and rural public
schools for the 2024 school year. This is a fantastic announcement by the Cook
government.
On top of the $5 million per annum of
additional funding for district high schools, we now have this continuation of the regional attraction and
retention incentive funding, and we are enlarging it from 48 to 66 regional and
remote schools. It does not matter where someone is educated, whether it is
Broome, Halls Creek, Esperance, Albany, Collie, Denmark, York or
Cunderdin—wherever—they will receive the best possible
education because the Cook Labor government is committed to every student in Western
Australia reaching their full potential.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Roe, this
will be the last question, and there will be no supplementary, given the time.
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