❓ A member of parliament questions the Minister for Education and Training about funding shortfalls in light of a leaked budget summary, specifically regarding increasing the school leaving age, teacher salaries, and school maintenance. The Minister deflects, criticises the question, and cites increased overall spending compared to the previous government.
AnsweredQoN 218Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to the leaked budget summary obtained by The West Australian this week, as can be seen in this morning’s newspaper, which states that the Department of Education and Training will receive a funding increase that barely meets inflation and the growth in student population. (1) How does the minister intend to fund his $30 million plan to increase the school leaving age without cutting existing programs? (2) How does he intend to fund the teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement increases without cutting existing programs? (3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(1) How does the minister intend to fund his $30 million plan to increase the school leaving age without cutting existing programs? (2) How does he intend to fund the teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement increases without cutting existing programs? (3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(2) How does he intend to fund the teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement increases without cutting existing programs? (3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(1) How does the minister intend to fund his $30 million plan to increase the school leaving age without cutting existing programs? (2) How does he intend to fund the teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement increases without cutting existing programs? (3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(2) How does he intend to fund the teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement increases without cutting existing programs? (3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(3) How does he intend to address the $88 million school maintenance backlog without cutting existing programs? (4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(4) Will he now admit that, in light of his Government’s refusal to provide additional funding, there is simply not enough money to address the urgent issues facing our education system? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
(1)-(4) I wonder whether I am the only member in the Parliament who can remember the old cartoon character Sad Sack. Do members remember old Sad Sack? The world was full of doom and gloom. Poor old Sad Sack could not see anything bright on the horizon; nothing good ever happened to Sad Sack. Every now and again I hear echoes of Sad Sack from across the Chamber. What a stupid question! The budget comes down tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that, in the last four years of the previous coalition Government, it spent about $6 billion on education - I think it was a bit less. In our four years we will have spent about $9.5 billion. We will have spent about 62 per cent more on education and training. Can members guess what we have done? We have delivered on every commitment within budget, because we are running the portfolio properly, unlike - members have heard it all before - the previous minister. The member for Darling Range should wait and see.
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