❓ Opposition asks the Minister for Education if he's aware of an email instructing schools to post a government budget infographic on their websites, raising concerns about politicising school websites. The Minister claims ignorance but defends generic funding information.
AnsweredQoN 579Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION — EMAIL —
SCHOOL WEBSITES
579. Hon SUE ELLERY to the Minister for
Education:
(1) Is the
minister aware of an edumail sent to schools today from the Department of
Education instructing them to put a government budget infographic on the local
school website?
(2) Is the
minister aware of the concern of principals that this is politicising a website
that is meant to be about each individual school and not a propaganda site?
SCHOOL WEBSITES
579. Hon SUE ELLERY to the Minister for
Education:
(1) Is the
minister aware of an edumail sent to schools today from the Department of
Education instructing them to put a government budget infographic on the local
school website?
(2) Is the
minister aware of the concern of principals that this is politicising a website
that is meant to be about each individual school and not a propaganda site?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question.
(1)–(2)
No, I am not aware of that, but I have to say I would be interested to see what
the infographic is. If it —
Hon
Sue Ellery : I'm
sure you would.
Hon
PETER COLLIER : Oh, well.
If it is just about the record funding that the Western Australian government
has given to education, I do not see that as an issue. Education funding has
gone up by 6.5 per cent, which means that funding will have gone up since 2008
by 69 per cent. In anyone's language, that is an extraordinary increase
in funding and I would suggest that it is not a bad thing.
Hon Sue Ellery : What's Dixie doing? That's
her job, not the job of school principals.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I beg your pardon? No, I do not mind
taking interjections, if the member would not mind just lowering the volume a
little and being a little more precise with her complaint.
Hon Sue Ellery : It's not the principals'
job to sell your budget. That's your job.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Can I just say to the honourable member
once again, if it is a very generic comment in terms of the money that has been
spent, that is fine. If it is blatantly political, obviously I do not agree
with it. If there is very generic commentary with regard to funding or what it
means for education, I do not actually see a problem with that.
Hon Sue Ellery : What if the principals object to doing it
because they find it politicising?
Hon PETER COLLIER : As I said, I am not aware that it has gone
out on edumail. That is an operational issue for the director general of the
department.
Hon Sue Ellery : So they just thought of that themselves?
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am sure they will. All I am saying is,
rather than making a value judgement on something that I am not aware of, I am
giving the member my opinion. If there is very generic commentary in terms of how
much money went into education, I do not see that that is political at all. It
is in the budget papers and readily, publicly available. If there was blatant
political commentary about the Liberal–National government's
further injection of funds et cetera, then I would be concerned. I will have a
look at the edumail, and if it is generic commentary along the lines of the
increased record level of funding by the Liberal–National government in
this year's budget, I do not see a problem with that.
(1)–(2)
No, I am not aware of that, but I have to say I would be interested to see what
the infographic is. If it —
Hon
Sue Ellery : I'm
sure you would.
Hon
PETER COLLIER : Oh, well.
If it is just about the record funding that the Western Australian government
has given to education, I do not see that as an issue. Education funding has
gone up by 6.5 per cent, which means that funding will have gone up since 2008
by 69 per cent. In anyone's language, that is an extraordinary increase
in funding and I would suggest that it is not a bad thing.
Hon Sue Ellery : What's Dixie doing? That's
her job, not the job of school principals.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I beg your pardon? No, I do not mind
taking interjections, if the member would not mind just lowering the volume a
little and being a little more precise with her complaint.
Hon Sue Ellery : It's not the principals'
job to sell your budget. That's your job.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Can I just say to the honourable member
once again, if it is a very generic comment in terms of the money that has been
spent, that is fine. If it is blatantly political, obviously I do not agree
with it. If there is very generic commentary with regard to funding or what it
means for education, I do not actually see a problem with that.
Hon Sue Ellery : What if the principals object to doing it
because they find it politicising?
Hon PETER COLLIER : As I said, I am not aware that it has gone
out on edumail. That is an operational issue for the director general of the
department.
Hon Sue Ellery : So they just thought of that themselves?
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am sure they will. All I am saying is,
rather than making a value judgement on something that I am not aware of, I am
giving the member my opinion. If there is very generic commentary in terms of how
much money went into education, I do not see that that is political at all. It
is in the budget papers and readily, publicly available. If there was blatant
political commentary about the Liberal–National government's
further injection of funds et cetera, then I would be concerned. I will have a
look at the edumail, and if it is generic commentary along the lines of the
increased record level of funding by the Liberal–National government in
this year's budget, I do not see a problem with that.
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