❓ Hon Sue Ellery questions the Minister for Transport's department's decision to not provide a second school bus for Kellerberrin students attending Merredin District High School, despite prior assurances. The response clarifies that no commitment was ever made for additional services for 'school-of-choice' students.
AnsweredQoN 1321Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
KELLERBERRIN—MERREDIN
— SCHOOL BUS SERVICE
1321. Hon SUE ELLERY to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the decision by the Minister for Transport's
department not to provide a second school bus to transport Kellerberrin
District High School students to Merredin, even though families had previously
been told that their year 7 and 8 children would be on the bus. Why did the
minister backflip on his decision, given at least 14 families had been told
their children would be able to travel on a school bus to Merredin District
High School?
— SCHOOL BUS SERVICE
1321. Hon SUE ELLERY to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the decision by the Minister for Transport's
department not to provide a second school bus to transport Kellerberrin
District High School students to Merredin, even though families had previously
been told that their year 7 and 8 children would be on the bus. Why did the
minister backflip on his decision, given at least 14 families had been told
their children would be able to travel on a school bus to Merredin District
High School?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of the question. On behalf
of the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Transport, I
provide the following response.
The Public Transport Authority has not backflipped on its
decision, as the PTA has never made a commitment to provide additional bus
services for complimentary-status passengers who reside in Kellerberrin and
have elected to enrol their children at Merredin College for years 7 and 8. A
number of families have chosen to enrol their children at Merredin College and,
when possible, the PTA has provided bus transport under a complimentary
arrangement when spare capacity exists. Unfortunately, these types of
arrangements are often only temporary as eligible students require access to
transport.
The PTA receives many requests for assistance from families
seeking transport assistance to what is essentially a school-of-choice
decision, as is the case for families living in Kellerberrin and choosing to
send their children to Merredin College. While the decision to enrol a student
at a school other than the nearest appropriate school is respected, it brings
with it a responsibility for parents to make their own transport arrangements.
It should also be noted that the provision of transport assistance to
complimentary passengers is granted at no cost to government. As a consequence,
no additional kilometres are added to bus routes and no additional bus services
are provided, including when communities have high instances of complimentary
passengers.
of the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Transport, I
provide the following response.
The Public Transport Authority has not backflipped on its
decision, as the PTA has never made a commitment to provide additional bus
services for complimentary-status passengers who reside in Kellerberrin and
have elected to enrol their children at Merredin College for years 7 and 8. A
number of families have chosen to enrol their children at Merredin College and,
when possible, the PTA has provided bus transport under a complimentary
arrangement when spare capacity exists. Unfortunately, these types of
arrangements are often only temporary as eligible students require access to
transport.
The PTA receives many requests for assistance from families
seeking transport assistance to what is essentially a school-of-choice
decision, as is the case for families living in Kellerberrin and choosing to
send their children to Merredin College. While the decision to enrol a student
at a school other than the nearest appropriate school is respected, it brings
with it a responsibility for parents to make their own transport arrangements.
It should also be noted that the provision of transport assistance to
complimentary passengers is granted at no cost to government. As a consequence,
no additional kilometres are added to bus routes and no additional bus services
are provided, including when communities have high instances of complimentary
passengers.
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