❓ Opposition questions the government's motivation behind VacSwim budget cuts, suggesting political opportunism, funding of pet projects, or indifference to affordability. The Premier defends the government's commitment to supporting families through various other programs.
AnsweredQoN 247Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VacSwim program—Budget cut
247. Mr Basil Zempilas to
the Premier:
I refer to the
government's cuts to VacSwim. Did the government make these cuts because:
(1) the government's motivation was to win votes
ahead of the election;
(2) the Treasurer needed funding for her pet
projects, like the racetrack at Burswood; or
(3) the Premier agrees with the member for
Fremantle that, if someone cannot afford VacSwim, it is okay because the beach
is free all the time?
247. Mr Basil Zempilas to
the Premier:
I refer to the
government's cuts to VacSwim. Did the government make these cuts because:
(1) the government's motivation was to win votes
ahead of the election;
(2) the Treasurer needed funding for her pet
projects, like the racetrack at Burswood; or
(3) the Premier agrees with the member for
Fremantle that, if someone cannot afford VacSwim, it is okay because the beach
is free all the time?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the member for the
question. As I said in a previous answer, we provide significant support for
schoolkids and for the families in which they live. At the moment, we are going
through our WA student assistance payment, an important contribution to the
costs of kids going to school. We have our $300 KidSport vouchers, which are an
important part of assisting families to get their kids involved in local
community sport. We have our $3 million kids Access All Areas �passes, which
are an important measure to help kids participate in local arts events and go
to arts venues. We have $28 million to expand the school breakfast program,
which is about bringing a five-day-a-week breakfast program to more than 670 schools
right across the state. We are also bringing in full-time kindy for four-year-olds,
which will obviously be an important opportunity for families of young children
to get extra assistance with their cost of living. As I said, Mr Speaker, in a
previous answer, we continue to make sure that in-term school lessons remain
free of charge.
question. As I said in a previous answer, we provide significant support for
schoolkids and for the families in which they live. At the moment, we are going
through our WA student assistance payment, an important contribution to the
costs of kids going to school. We have our $300 KidSport vouchers, which are an
important part of assisting families to get their kids involved in local
community sport. We have our $3 million kids Access All Areas �passes, which
are an important measure to help kids participate in local arts events and go
to arts venues. We have $28 million to expand the school breakfast program,
which is about bringing a five-day-a-week breakfast program to more than 670 schools
right across the state. We are also bringing in full-time kindy for four-year-olds,
which will obviously be an important opportunity for families of young children
to get extra assistance with their cost of living. As I said, Mr Speaker, in a
previous answer, we continue to make sure that in-term school lessons remain
free of charge.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.