LOCAL PROJECTS, LOCAL
JOBS — DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
1170. Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the Western Australian
Auditor General's ''Audit Results Report—Annual 2017–18
Financial Audits of State Government Entities: Report 7'', of November
2018, and in particular the section titled ''Local Projects, Local Jobs
program—accountability and acquittal of projects''.
(1) Which
projects funded by the Department of Education were considered by the Auditor
General and what were the sums of money involved?
(2) Which were
the three instances cited on page 26 of the report in which schools used the
funds for a purpose that differed from the grant agreement, and which was the
one for which there was no documented approval of the change?
(3) For each of
those cases, who were the local members of Parliament for the area in which the
schools were located and who approved the change of scope?
(4) Which was the
project for which there was no documented approval of the change by the ''relevant
minister or authorised delegate within the entity''?
(5) In each of
these three cases, what were the original purposes specified in the grant
agreement, and the sum of money involved, and what were the purposes for which
the funds were actually used?
(6) How did these
irregularities come about; when did the minister first become aware of them and
how; and what steps has she taken, and
when, to audit remaining projects and to ensure that this does not happen
again?
(7) Is the
minister aware of any other instances of such changes of purpose or
irregularities; and, if so, for which projects and what sums of money are
concerned?
The PRESIDENT: I must say that that question probably
does not fit within the definition of ''concise'', member.
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
the question. It was a long question and, therefore, there is a long answer.
(1) The Office of
the Auditor General sampled 22 projects funded through the Local Projects,
Local Jobs program. As the information is provided in tabular form, I seek
leave to have the information incorporated into Hansard.
Leave granted.
The following material
was incorporated —
Project
Number
|
School
Name and Project Description
|
Committed
Funds
(excluding
GST)
|
MET078
|
Beechboro
Primary School - play equipment.
|
$30
000
|
MET080
|
Belmay
Primary School new hard cover area.
|
$50
000
|
MET087
|
Belmont
Primary School - netball upgrade courts.
|
$50
000
|
MET170
|
Eden
Hill - new shade cover for two play areas.
|
$40
000
|
MET173
|
Ellen
Stirling Primary School - new shade structures.
|
$25
000
|
MET175
|
Ellenbrook
Primary School - new shade structures.
|
$20
000
|
MET423
|
Salvado
Catholic College nature play area and shade sails.
|
$10
000
|
MET214
|
Glendale
Primary School - playground upgrade
|
$25
000
|
MET215
|
Good
Shepherd Catholic College - new nature playground.
|
$10
000
|
MET230
|
Gwynne
Park Primary School - nature playground.
|
$11
000
|
MET290
|
Kinross
College - new bus,
|
$70
000
|
MET549
|
Woodvale
Primary School - nature play music wall.
|
$3
500
|
MET365
|
Noranda
Primary School - new shade sails.
|
$20
000
|
MET396
|
Embleton
Primary School - new playground equipment.
|
$30
000
|
MET137
|
Connolly
Primary School - smart boards, 3D printers nature play.
|
$40
000
|
MET185
|
East
Victoria Park Primary School - new early childhood playground.
|
$20
000
|
MET450
|
St
Helena's Catholic School - shade sail.
|
$20
000
|
MET451
|
St
Kieran's Primary School playground upgrade.
|
$25
000
|
MET453
|
St
Michael's School - new nature playground.
|
$10
000
|
MET486
|
Tranby
College - nature play area.
|
$50
000
|
MET519
|
West
Balcatta Primary School - playground upgrade.
|
$25
000
|
MET029
|
Armadale
Senior High School - new virtual reality equipment.
|
$26
000
|
(2) They were
Belmay Primary School, Connolly Primary School and St Michael's School.
The project for which there was no documented approval of the change of scope
was Connolly Primary School.
(3) The local
members of Parliament are: Belmay Primary School, member for Belmont, Ms Cassie
Rowe, MLA; Connolly Primary School, member
for Joondalup, Ms Emily Hamilton, MLA; St Michael's School,
member for Bassendean, Hon Dave Kelly, MLA.
Approval for the change of scope was
as follows: for Belmay Primary School, a request was sought by the school
principal and supported by the Department of Education and the member for
Belmont, Ms Cassie Rowe, MLA. Approval was provided by the Parliamentary
Secretary to the Premier, Mr John Carey, MLA. The Department of Education was
then provided with written advice from the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet.
Connolly Primary School consulted
with the Connolly Primary School Parents and Citizens Association and the
school principal endorsed the change in scope. No written documentation is
available.
For St Michael's School—Catholic
Education Western Australia—a request was sought by the school
principal and approval was provided to the school by the office of Hon Dave
Kelly, MLA. The email noted there was support from me.
(4) It was
Connolly Primary School.
(5) For Belmay
Primary School, the original project and funding of $50 000 was allocated for a
hard cover for the junior play areas to provide protection from all weather
conditions. The school spent $26 548 on a hard cover for the junior play areas,
and sought approval to utilise the remaining funds of $23 452 to
establish a nature playground.
For Connolly Primary School, the
original project and funding of $40 000 was allocated for smart boards, a 3D printer
and two nature play areas. The school purchased smart boards totalling $29 140.
The balance of $10 860 was spent on digital technology kits and classroom
furniture.
For St Michael's School, the
original project and funding of $10 000 was for a nature playground. However,
the school instead sought approval to utilise the $10 000 to establish a robotics
program through the purchase of robotics equipment.
(6) The
Department of Education acknowledges that there may have been some confusion in
the early transition of the program, and support from the local member had
potentially been interpreted as approval. In all instances, the schools,
through their principals, had determined that the change in scope was in the
best interests of the students and sought the support of the local member. The
decision to change the scope by the principal is considered consistent with the
department's financial policies and delegations, resulting in minimal
risk to the program.
The department provided Local
Projects, Local Jobs progress reports to me, including updates on any change of
scope requests that had been submitted to the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet. Formal notification of the Office of the Auditor General's
finding was advised to the Minister for Education and Training in October 2018.
I note that in late 2017, prior to the April 2018 Office of the Auditor General
audit, further guidance regarding the process was provided by the department to
schools to remove any confusion and to clarify that an approval change requires
both the local member's support and the approval of the minister's
office and the Premier's office.
(7) No.