❓ A question regarding the number of WA public school students in a deradicalisation program following a stabbing incident. The Minister deflects, correcting misinformation and outlining actions taken regarding the student involved.
AnsweredQoN 262Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
KNIFE ATTACK —
WILLETTON — DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DERADICALISATION PROGRAM
262. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
It has come to light that the
16-year-old boy who stabbed an innocent man on Saturday evening was exposed to
online extremism and had participated in the deradicalisation program
countering violent extremism. How many Western Australian public school students
are participating in this program?
The SPEAKER : I would just
question whether the member has asked the right minister here, and whether he
should have given some notice, given that I understand the program is run by
the Western Australia Police Force, not the Department of Education.
WILLETTON — DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DERADICALISATION PROGRAM
262. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
It has come to light that the
16-year-old boy who stabbed an innocent man on Saturday evening was exposed to
online extremism and had participated in the deradicalisation program
countering violent extremism. How many Western Australian public school students
are participating in this program?
The SPEAKER : I would just
question whether the member has asked the right minister here, and whether he
should have given some notice, given that I understand the program is run by
the Western Australia Police Force, not the Department of Education.
AnswerView source ↗
Madam Speaker, thank you for that
correction. I ask the member to refer that question to the appropriate
minister.
While I am on my feet, I am glad to
have the opportunity to try to correct some deliberate misinformation. The
Premier has already relayed the misinformation being peddled by the member for
Roe's junior partner, the member for Vasse. Even today, she is trying
to claim what she is saying is true. It is not true. There was no bomb and there
was no damage to the toilets. We have no record of knowing that there would be
obstruction in the assembly. Those claims are just not true. The member got it
wrong. She should admit to it. She should not play politics.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Dr A.D. BUTI : We had a situation
on Saturday night in which someone was severely injured; they could have died. Through the great work of the police, who
are traumatised by that event, we now have a deceased 16-year-old whose family is grieving of course. It is a terrible
situation. What do we have? We have the member for Vasse going out and
peddling misinformation. It is just appalling.
I will address the issue of this
so-called letter that was so-called fobbed off. The fact is that the deceased
student had been known to the police since 2022. He was put on a program and
monitored. The school also had him on an individual management plan. Also, his
communications were also being monitored. This is not new. The school, the
department and the police knew about it. The letter that came to my office in
early April—that is where the Leader of the Opposition should not
conflate the situation —
Ms R. Saffioti : She's
not.
Dr A.D. BUTI : No; I am now
talking about the Leader of the Opposition.
The
letter that came to me did not refer to the deceased student. It was from
parents of one child who were concerned that their child was being radicalised. They did not mention the name of
the deceased. They mentioned Mohammad; they did not mention the name of
the deceased. They were concerned that their child was being radicalised by a student, presumably the now deceased student. We
immediately referred it to the Department of Education, which is standard practice. That was during the school
holidays. On the first day back at school, the principal had a meeting
with the parent who contacted my office, who is not the parent of the deceased,
but the parent of another child, who was concerned their child was being
radicalised. The lead school psychologist has had a meeting with those parents,
so we have engaged with the parents a number of times. They subsequently
contacted my office. It was nothing to do with a fear of radicalisation
anymore; they wanted us to facilitate moving that student to a private school
and asked whether I would write a reference. It is not standard policy for the
Minister for Education to write a reference for a student I do not know to go
to a private school. That is what the communication in regard to that letter
was about; it was not about the deceased student. In any case, the deceased
student had been known to the police, had been on a program since 2022 and had
been on a plan with the education department.
I plead with the member to please
listen to what the great Western Australian Commissioner of Police said.
According to my notes, he said —
Sending
messages around and whipping up people's anxiety at a time of
significant stress will not help anyone.
School is a safe place, okay? It's
a very safe place. We live in one of the safest cities in the world. We had a tragic
incident on Saturday night, but there is nothing from the policing perspective
that say there is an ongoing threat or risk at this time.
We've got no ongoing threats.
This is a call for calm. This is a call for let police do investigations and
deal with it.
The school principal said in their
letter to parents to please be aware of potential misinformation or
inappropriate comments.
I will leave it there, and I plead
with the member to stop playing politics over a tragic situation.
correction. I ask the member to refer that question to the appropriate
minister.
While I am on my feet, I am glad to
have the opportunity to try to correct some deliberate misinformation. The
Premier has already relayed the misinformation being peddled by the member for
Roe's junior partner, the member for Vasse. Even today, she is trying
to claim what she is saying is true. It is not true. There was no bomb and there
was no damage to the toilets. We have no record of knowing that there would be
obstruction in the assembly. Those claims are just not true. The member got it
wrong. She should admit to it. She should not play politics.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Dr A.D. BUTI : We had a situation
on Saturday night in which someone was severely injured; they could have died. Through the great work of the police, who
are traumatised by that event, we now have a deceased 16-year-old whose family is grieving of course. It is a terrible
situation. What do we have? We have the member for Vasse going out and
peddling misinformation. It is just appalling.
I will address the issue of this
so-called letter that was so-called fobbed off. The fact is that the deceased
student had been known to the police since 2022. He was put on a program and
monitored. The school also had him on an individual management plan. Also, his
communications were also being monitored. This is not new. The school, the
department and the police knew about it. The letter that came to my office in
early April—that is where the Leader of the Opposition should not
conflate the situation —
Ms R. Saffioti : She's
not.
Dr A.D. BUTI : No; I am now
talking about the Leader of the Opposition.
The
letter that came to me did not refer to the deceased student. It was from
parents of one child who were concerned that their child was being radicalised. They did not mention the name of
the deceased. They mentioned Mohammad; they did not mention the name of
the deceased. They were concerned that their child was being radicalised by a student, presumably the now deceased student. We
immediately referred it to the Department of Education, which is standard practice. That was during the school
holidays. On the first day back at school, the principal had a meeting
with the parent who contacted my office, who is not the parent of the deceased,
but the parent of another child, who was concerned their child was being
radicalised. The lead school psychologist has had a meeting with those parents,
so we have engaged with the parents a number of times. They subsequently
contacted my office. It was nothing to do with a fear of radicalisation
anymore; they wanted us to facilitate moving that student to a private school
and asked whether I would write a reference. It is not standard policy for the
Minister for Education to write a reference for a student I do not know to go
to a private school. That is what the communication in regard to that letter
was about; it was not about the deceased student. In any case, the deceased
student had been known to the police, had been on a program since 2022 and had
been on a plan with the education department.
I plead with the member to please
listen to what the great Western Australian Commissioner of Police said.
According to my notes, he said —
Sending
messages around and whipping up people's anxiety at a time of
significant stress will not help anyone.
School is a safe place, okay? It's
a very safe place. We live in one of the safest cities in the world. We had a tragic
incident on Saturday night, but there is nothing from the policing perspective
that say there is an ongoing threat or risk at this time.
We've got no ongoing threats.
This is a call for calm. This is a call for let police do investigations and
deal with it.
The school principal said in their
letter to parents to please be aware of potential misinformation or
inappropriate comments.
I will leave it there, and I plead
with the member to stop playing politics over a tragic situation.
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