❓ The Minister for Education provides an update on the government's commitment to inner-city schooling, specifically Highgate Primary School, including a $12 million investment in modular classrooms and plans for a new inner-city primary school with over $100 million investment.
AnsweredQoN 131Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INNER-CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL — HIGHGATE
131. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
work to ensure that every Western Australian student has access to quality
education facilities.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on this government's commitment to inner-city
schooling, including important improvements at Highgate Primary School?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how these improvements build on this government's
commitment to deliver a new inner-city primary school?
131. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
work to ensure that every Western Australian student has access to quality
education facilities.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on this government's commitment to inner-city
schooling, including important improvements at Highgate Primary School?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how these improvements build on this government's
commitment to deliver a new inner-city primary school?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Mount Lawley for his passion and commitment to quality
public education in the inner city and throughout Western Australia. I can
actually provide the member with some information. Yesterday, the member for
Perth and I were at Highgate Primary School to make a very significant investment. That included a $12 million investment
in an innovative modular two-storey classroom complex that will cater
for six classrooms, preparation areas for the teachers, staff kitchenettes and
toilets for staff and students. It will be built offsite, causing little
disruption to the school, and will then be brought onsite to install.
The Leader of the Opposition seems to
be confused about what I am saying. It is not that difficult to understand. We
build a modular unit offsite, we bring it onto the school site and then we
connect it. Apart from that, we are also using part of the money to refurbish
the toilets that are there at the moment. We have also reached an agreement
with the City of Vincent with regard to exclusive use of the adjacent Birdwood
Square for a recreational facility during school time. We have also reached an
agreement with the city with regard to leasing some car bays so teachers will
be able to park offsite nearby, which will free up an area that can be used for
a green space, plus rejuvenate an existing green. After some power works have
been attended to by the appropriate utility services, we will install two
transportable units this year to help
alleviate any issues, although the principal, who has been very supportive,
said the school will probably need only one, but if two are needed, we
will supply those two transportables.
One
has to understand that inner-city infrastructure, particularly in an
educational setting, is very challenging because it is a confined space.
It is a very popular school. It has great student outcomes, so people want to
go to that school. The density of the inner area is increasing, therefore there
are enrolment pressures at Highgate. We have
thought through this very carefully. We have worked with the school, the local
member and the City of Vincent, and we believe we have come up with a very
good interim solution because, ultimately, we have to try to ease the enrolment
pressures at Highgate.
Part of that strategy is a new
inner-city primary school. Last year we announced that our preferred site is
the Queens Gardens car park opposite the WACA. It is an incredibly exciting
project. We are looking at an investment in a primary school that will be the
greatest single investment in any primary school in Western Australian history. We are seeking to invest over $100 million—way
in excess of $ 100 million—on the new primary school in the inner
city that will have state-of-the-art classroom facilities, an oval and sporting
facilities that will be utilised by not only the students, but also the
community. We will also unlock the development potential of the land that the
City of Perth can utilise. At the moment, under the Chevron–Hilton
agreement, it can be used only as a car park.
We know that the City of Perth wants
an inner-city primary school because it is the only metropolitan council that
does not have one. We know that the Lord Mayor has stated previously that he
wants to work in partnership with the government. My understanding of a partnership—I
probably should explain what a partnership is to members of the opposition
because they do not know what a partnership is or how a functional partnership works—is that both parties work
together and contribute to the project. It is not like a group project
when one person does all the work and no-one else does anything; they actually
try to work together. The state government
will use taxpayers' money to build a state-of-the-art inner-city
primary school for the people who live in the City of Perth, Churchlands
and in the electorate of Roe. The member for Roe, along with the City of Perth,
wants us to pay $40 million for the privilege of building an incredible primary
school that will benefit the residents of the area and allow them to use those
facilities. We are to pay the City of Perth
$40 million for that plus it would get a $27.5 million potential development lot because at the moment it cannot be used. I want to make it clear to
everyone, because the opposition seems to be in the corner of the City of Perth
on this one, that for the City of Perth to have the privilege of the most
expensive and best —
Point of Order
Mr R.S. LOVE : This must be
the longest journey I have ever heard in a question-and-answer session. Surely
you must bring him back to order, Madam Speaker. He was asked about the
Highgate school, not some other facility elsewhere in the City of Perth.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, I will
respond to the point of order. Minister, it has been a very lengthy answer. The
question was principally about Highgate Primary School. I will ask you to draw
your answer to a close.
Dr A.D. BUTI : I did talk
about the delivery of an inner-city primary school in the answer.
The SPEAKER : I am aware of
that, thanks.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr A.D. BUTI : For that
privilege, the opposition wants us to spend more taxpayers' money than
we should. The City of Perth wants a primary school. It has stated that it is a
priority. It stated in last year's City of Perth social and health and
wellbeing strategy that the city engaged more than 1 400 people to identify
what they wanted for the Perth community in
2040, and they wanted social connection, community, safety and security, built
environment , inclusivity, accessibility, vibrancy, activation and
culture. What better way to do that than by having a beautiful primary school
that can be used by the community? Last year, the Lord Mayor said, ''A
modern city is a city that doesn't get in the way. We want a primary
school at East Perth. We want to help make it work. We want to be delivery
partners in a primary school for the City of Perth. We're all on the
same page.''
I am still confident that when the
City of Perth sees the offer that the state's taxpayers are offering,
it will agree to what we have proposed and we can get on with building an
inner-city primary school that will alleviate enrolment pressures in other
schools such as Highgate.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, I think that
was the longest answer we have had this year. I will concur with the Leader of
the Opposition on that point.
thank the member for Mount Lawley for his passion and commitment to quality
public education in the inner city and throughout Western Australia. I can
actually provide the member with some information. Yesterday, the member for
Perth and I were at Highgate Primary School to make a very significant investment. That included a $12 million investment
in an innovative modular two-storey classroom complex that will cater
for six classrooms, preparation areas for the teachers, staff kitchenettes and
toilets for staff and students. It will be built offsite, causing little
disruption to the school, and will then be brought onsite to install.
The Leader of the Opposition seems to
be confused about what I am saying. It is not that difficult to understand. We
build a modular unit offsite, we bring it onto the school site and then we
connect it. Apart from that, we are also using part of the money to refurbish
the toilets that are there at the moment. We have also reached an agreement
with the City of Vincent with regard to exclusive use of the adjacent Birdwood
Square for a recreational facility during school time. We have also reached an
agreement with the city with regard to leasing some car bays so teachers will
be able to park offsite nearby, which will free up an area that can be used for
a green space, plus rejuvenate an existing green. After some power works have
been attended to by the appropriate utility services, we will install two
transportable units this year to help
alleviate any issues, although the principal, who has been very supportive,
said the school will probably need only one, but if two are needed, we
will supply those two transportables.
One
has to understand that inner-city infrastructure, particularly in an
educational setting, is very challenging because it is a confined space.
It is a very popular school. It has great student outcomes, so people want to
go to that school. The density of the inner area is increasing, therefore there
are enrolment pressures at Highgate. We have
thought through this very carefully. We have worked with the school, the local
member and the City of Vincent, and we believe we have come up with a very
good interim solution because, ultimately, we have to try to ease the enrolment
pressures at Highgate.
Part of that strategy is a new
inner-city primary school. Last year we announced that our preferred site is
the Queens Gardens car park opposite the WACA. It is an incredibly exciting
project. We are looking at an investment in a primary school that will be the
greatest single investment in any primary school in Western Australian history. We are seeking to invest over $100 million—way
in excess of $ 100 million—on the new primary school in the inner
city that will have state-of-the-art classroom facilities, an oval and sporting
facilities that will be utilised by not only the students, but also the
community. We will also unlock the development potential of the land that the
City of Perth can utilise. At the moment, under the Chevron–Hilton
agreement, it can be used only as a car park.
We know that the City of Perth wants
an inner-city primary school because it is the only metropolitan council that
does not have one. We know that the Lord Mayor has stated previously that he
wants to work in partnership with the government. My understanding of a partnership—I
probably should explain what a partnership is to members of the opposition
because they do not know what a partnership is or how a functional partnership works—is that both parties work
together and contribute to the project. It is not like a group project
when one person does all the work and no-one else does anything; they actually
try to work together. The state government
will use taxpayers' money to build a state-of-the-art inner-city
primary school for the people who live in the City of Perth, Churchlands
and in the electorate of Roe. The member for Roe, along with the City of Perth,
wants us to pay $40 million for the privilege of building an incredible primary
school that will benefit the residents of the area and allow them to use those
facilities. We are to pay the City of Perth
$40 million for that plus it would get a $27.5 million potential development lot because at the moment it cannot be used. I want to make it clear to
everyone, because the opposition seems to be in the corner of the City of Perth
on this one, that for the City of Perth to have the privilege of the most
expensive and best —
Point of Order
Mr R.S. LOVE : This must be
the longest journey I have ever heard in a question-and-answer session. Surely
you must bring him back to order, Madam Speaker. He was asked about the
Highgate school, not some other facility elsewhere in the City of Perth.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, I will
respond to the point of order. Minister, it has been a very lengthy answer. The
question was principally about Highgate Primary School. I will ask you to draw
your answer to a close.
Dr A.D. BUTI : I did talk
about the delivery of an inner-city primary school in the answer.
The SPEAKER : I am aware of
that, thanks.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr A.D. BUTI : For that
privilege, the opposition wants us to spend more taxpayers' money than
we should. The City of Perth wants a primary school. It has stated that it is a
priority. It stated in last year's City of Perth social and health and
wellbeing strategy that the city engaged more than 1 400 people to identify
what they wanted for the Perth community in
2040, and they wanted social connection, community, safety and security, built
environment , inclusivity, accessibility, vibrancy, activation and
culture. What better way to do that than by having a beautiful primary school
that can be used by the community? Last year, the Lord Mayor said, ''A
modern city is a city that doesn't get in the way. We want a primary
school at East Perth. We want to help make it work. We want to be delivery
partners in a primary school for the City of Perth. We're all on the
same page.''
I am still confident that when the
City of Perth sees the offer that the state's taxpayers are offering,
it will agree to what we have proposed and we can get on with building an
inner-city primary school that will alleviate enrolment pressures in other
schools such as Highgate.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, I think that
was the longest answer we have had this year. I will concur with the Leader of
the Opposition on that point.
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