CORONAVIRUS — WA RECOVERY PLAN —
SCHOOLS
575. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's $5.5 billion WA recovery plan, which includes an
unprecedented funding package to upgrade
schools right across the state. Can the Premier outline to the house what this
$492 million infrastructure package will mean for Western Australian
students, particularly those in my electorate of Kingsley, and how this
investment in schools will support local jobs and local businesses?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
We have committed $492 million, as part of our COVID response package, towards
infrastructure in schools in regional and metropolitan Western Australia.
Outside of a budget process, this is an unprecedented funding package and comes
on top of the $200 million for maintenance that we committed to in December
last year. This will mean that local businesses are the big winners—in
particular, those in building, construction and training.
With
this package, 63 public schools across Western Australia will receive major
additions. It will also ensure that many schools all over the state will get performing arts centres, new
specialist facilities and the like. Of those 63 schools, 17 are in regional Western
Australia and 46 are in the metro area. We expect that it will create nearly 2 000
jobs.
In
the member for Kingsley's electorate, we are putting $2 million into
the new performing arts centre at Warwick Senior High School, $1.5 million for an early intervention facility at Hawker
Park Primary School, and $2.4 million for various upgrades to Greenwood
College. In Kalamunda, $15.2 million will go to Lesmurdie Primary School, which
was built in 1920, so it is an older school that needs some investment; and
$18.3 million will go into Kalamunda Senior High School. Across the regions,
$22 million will go to Karratha Senior High School for a new classroom block, including specialist classrooms
for engineering, robotics, IT and food technology; and $42 million will
go to Roebourne District High School, which has always been forgotten, so the
children of Roebourne will have a first-rate learning environment. That is
basically a complete rebuild of the school. That will be terrific for the kids
of Roebourne and its surrounds. Margaret River Senior High School will get a new
sports oval on top of the $30 million, I think, that we have already spent
there. Performing arts centres will be built at Pinjarra, Albany, Wanneroo and
Dianella. When I went down to Pinjarra, they were very excited. All the young
men with mullets gathered around me for a photograph, as I remember. They
looked magnificent! It is very exciting.
One of the investments that I am
very excited about is $32 million for Carine Senior High School, in the western
suburbs. That builds on our commitment to fix the issue of overcrowding of
schools in the western suburbs with Bob Hawke College. But I do note —
Mr P.A. Katsambanis: When did
Carine become part of the western suburbs?
Mr M. McGOWAN: It is the
broader western suburbs! To me, if you go west, there is Carine. It is the
broader western suburbs! I suppose you could say that Rockingham is in the
western suburbs as well. I am very broad in my assessment of the western
suburbs.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup: Anything
that's near the coast!
Mr
M. McGOWAN: I think the member is
going a bit far there, but certainly Rockingham and Carine are western suburbs!
There is $32 million for Carine
Senior High School. I went there earlier this year, or late last year, and saw
that it obviously needs some significant improvements. It is this government
that is delivering this infrastructure package, but I have noticed that the
Liberal Party constantly campaigns around our commitments. I have a Facebook
post by the shadow minister for cost of living, the member for Carine, in which
he has two thumbs up while standing in front of Carine Senior High School. It
states —
The Liberals
support the $32 million for a major upgrade �
We are committed
to progress this project if elected.
�
This is great news for local parents
�
I
also have an announcement from the Leader of the Opposition. The way its
Facebook posts are promoting it, people would think that it is a Liberal Party policy. Do members opposite
actually think they are doing it? Members should read this, because it
is hilarious. The opposition leader's Facebook site says —
HELPING OUR KIDS GET AHEAD
$492 million for school upgrades
including science, design and technology facilities
There
is a photo of the opposition leader and a group of kids. If people visit the
Liberal Party's website, they will see that it has no policies;
yet the Liberal Party goes to our website, cuts and pastes our policies, then
claims them as its own. That appears to be
the Liberal Party's policy development process these days. I suppose
one could say that plagiarism is a form of flattery.