Schools—Infrastructure upgrades
139. Mrs Lisa Mundayto theMinister for Education:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's record investment to deliver new and improved school infrastructure.
(1) Can the minister please outline to the house how this government's investment in education infrastructure is helping to support our growing communities?
(2) Can the minister also please advise the house how our government's plan for education compares with that of the Liberals and Nationals?
Ms Sabine Winton replied:
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Dawesville for that question. She is a great champion for the schools in her community. I look forward to working with her in the next few years to continuously deliver for the students and families in her area.
Over the last eight years, this Cook Labor government has built a world-class education system, delivering quality schools no matter where kids live right around Western Australia with $4.8 billion worth of investment. In fact, in the last month alone, we have opened two new primary schools to support the growing communities in our northern and eastern suburbs. Of course, the member for Butler would know that the fantastic Eglington Primary School is now doing great things in her local community, as is Maarakool Primary School, which is in the Deputy Premier's electorate of West Swan. As a former teacher of 27 years, I am very proud of our government's work to ensure that we continue to put in the best infrastructure right across our state.
We know that there is always more we can do, and that is why when we went to the election, we committed to an additional $750 million towards new and improved infrastructure in our schools. There will be infrastructure upgrades at schools right across our state, including those in Butler, Dawesville, Kwinana, Vasse, Darling Range, Jandakot, Mount Lawley, West Swan and more. That also includes significant upgrades to schools in our regional towns because we know that kids in the bush deserve great schools, too, including investments in schools in Albany, Kalamunda, Geraldton and Warren–Blackwood. In fact, we are delivering our school infrastructure investments in the electorates of the members for Churchlands, Central Wheatbelt and Mid-West. We will make sure that all kids right around our state benefit from our investment in infrastructure, which is strongly on the record.
Our track record and vision are in stark contrast to that of the WA Liberals, which, quite frankly, took a very measly school infrastructure plan to the last state election. That might account for the extraordinary election result just a couple of months ago. If we remove all the commitments that we took to the election—the ones that are so good, such as Country Week, which were copied by the Liberals—there is not much left to see in terms of a Liberal Party platform or election commitments. It was pretty dire. I want to highlight that on the last page of this Liberal Party document, members can see what the Liberal Party intended to do in terms of investing in infrastructure in our schools. It shows that the Liberal Party committed just 16% of the $775 million that we are committing to school infrastructure in WA. Just let that sink in; it is quite extraordinary. The Liberals thought that that was satisfactory in terms of investing in schools right around our state. The good people of Western Australia know that when it comes to education, the Labor Party gets it; public education is in our DNA. We took our plan of an additional $775 million investment in key infrastructure right around the state. I am looking forward to delivering on that on behalf of the government for the people and students of Western Australia.
I finish by saying that today is Public Education Day. I take a moment to recognise that because Labor gets the importance of public education. We always have. Universally free public education is one of the greatest social democratic achievements of our nation, and I am very proud as the Minister for Education to continue leading that important work on behalf of the Cook Labor government.
The Speaker: The member for Kalamunda with the final question.
