❓ Mr. Waddell questions the Minister for Education regarding misleading information about ember guard manufacturers and the slow progress of fitting ember guards to schools in bushfire-prone areas. The Minister acknowledges the issue and outlines a plan for retrofitting screens by November 2012.
AnsweredQoN 52Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SCHOOLS — BUSHFIRE PREPAREDNESS
52. Mr A.J. WADDELL to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the minister's answer to a question
without notice on 23 November of last year concerning ember guards on
evaporative air conditioners at schools, in which the minister asserted that
there were no manufacturers of these guards in Western Australia.
(1) Does the minister now concede that she misled the house
as there are two such manufacturers in WA?
(2) How is it
that the Catholic schools in bushfire-prone areas can have not only found these
manufacturers, but also already acted to fit ember guards to schools in
bushfire-prone areas?
(3) Given the
existence of the local manufacturers, when will the 137 schools in
bushfire-prone areas be fitted with ember guards?
52. Mr A.J. WADDELL to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the minister's answer to a question
without notice on 23 November of last year concerning ember guards on
evaporative air conditioners at schools, in which the minister asserted that
there were no manufacturers of these guards in Western Australia.
(1) Does the minister now concede that she misled the house
as there are two such manufacturers in WA?
(2) How is it
that the Catholic schools in bushfire-prone areas can have not only found these
manufacturers, but also already acted to fit ember guards to schools in
bushfire-prone areas?
(3) Given the
existence of the local manufacturers, when will the 137 schools in
bushfire-prone areas be fitted with ember guards?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
member for the question.
(1)–(3)
There are a number of aspects to the member's question that I think we
need to look at. A review was done of the 139 schools and the early advice that
I had was that we found that 29 of the 37 schools already have refrigerated air
conditioning, which left us to look at the evaporative air-conditioning units
of the remainder. Those units are of varying age, some of which need to be
replaced and some of which, we believe, need ember guards fitted. The original
advice that I received and the original advice that the department was able to
garner was that no-one in Western Australia was available to manufacture those
guards. Three schools, Chidlow and Jarrahdale and the Roleystone Community
College, have been fitted with screens as a trial. The department has requested
that Building Management and Works commence a program, which the department
expects to be completed by November 2012, to retrofit the more than 1 000 unit
screens, and that will be done.
member for the question.
(1)–(3)
There are a number of aspects to the member's question that I think we
need to look at. A review was done of the 139 schools and the early advice that
I had was that we found that 29 of the 37 schools already have refrigerated air
conditioning, which left us to look at the evaporative air-conditioning units
of the remainder. Those units are of varying age, some of which need to be
replaced and some of which, we believe, need ember guards fitted. The original
advice that I received and the original advice that the department was able to
garner was that no-one in Western Australia was available to manufacture those
guards. Three schools, Chidlow and Jarrahdale and the Roleystone Community
College, have been fitted with screens as a trial. The department has requested
that Building Management and Works commence a program, which the department
expects to be completed by November 2012, to retrofit the more than 1 000 unit
screens, and that will be done.
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