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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 880 asked in the Legislative Council on 9 September 2020 by Hon Ken Baston

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

BROOME SCHOOLS — VIOLENT INCIDENTS

880. Hon KEN BASTON to the Minister for Education and Training:

I refer to the minister's commitment as broadcast on the ABC Kimberley on Monday, 7 September 2020 to meet with Broome school principals in mid-September to discuss the violent incidents occurring on and off school grounds. Will the minister also commit, during that visit to Broome, to meet with concerned parents and carers of children who have experienced those episodes of violence?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

I thank the honourable member.

I did not hear the first bit. I certainly will be visiting Broome as part of community cabinet. I was in Broome and attended an education forum at Broome Senior High School that included parents on parents and citizens associations and boards maybe two weeks ago. That issue, I have to say, was not raised there. I have seen something on Facebook that says, I think, that parents are going to send me emails to request a meeting. I will happily receive those emails and, if I am able to meet with them, I certainly will.

I will make this point, though, about the services for students who have been victims of those incidents of crime. The Department of Education has increased the number of resources available to the school to assist the victims, including by increasing the hours of the school psychologist. The Western Australia Police Force and the Department of Education are looking at appointing a third youth policing officer in Broome. That third officer is to specifically deal with any issues arising from that cohort of students. As I think that people need to understand it, I make the point that some of the perpetrators, if you like—one is a year 6 student, which is pretty shocking—are not students at Broome Senior High School. They are from outside Broome, and from other areas of the Kimberley. They should be attending school wherever they are. I think people need to understand that it is a broader picture than a cohort of students at Broome Senior High School. This will require all agencies, families and support groups to work together. I also note that on Friday, police laid charges against five young girls who were caught up in the incident that happened on Reid Road in the middle of August. It is a work in progress.

In terms of support for students who have been a victim, I am comfortable so far with what I have been told about the support that the school is offering, but I would be interested to hear from parents whether they think that those extra resources are satisfactory. I am focusing the attention of the department and working with other agencies, particularly police, to stop it from happening in the first place.