Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak about the poor treatment of schools in my electorate by the Carpenter government in Western Australia over the last two parliaments. In particular, I want to give examples of the poor maintenance and funding provided by the Carpenter government to two schools in the north of my electorate. The area concerned is covered by the state electorate of Belmont, which happens to be the seat held by the Deputy Premier and Treasurer of WA, Mr Eric Ripper. We have had announcements from Mr Ripper advising that he has given a state grant to the Belmay Primary School. How much would you expect for a school maintenance program? How does $200,000 sound? Not bad. But the Carpenter government has rolled out the pork-barrel and announced funding of $1 million. As much as I welcome the funding of any educational institution, this reeks of vote buying.

When the Principal of Belmay Primary School, Mr Chris Leed, was questioned by the local paper, he stated that the announcement was unexpected and the school had been in need of repairs for some time. Would it be mischievous of me to say that the repairs had been required for four years or more? Of course it would, but I dare say it is probably true. Have the Carpenter government sat on previous budget surpluses to roll them out now as vote-buying slush funds? Of course they have. People in my electorate should be angry that the Carpenter government have treated them with contempt. This is blatant electioneering and pork-barrelling by the Labor Party, who earlier this year in this same room had the cheek to accuse me of pork-barrelling during the 2007 federal election. Just because I tried to get a $90,000 grant for the bowling club in my electorate, the members on the other side interjected with calls of pork-barrelling. The Labor Party have proven they are a party of hypocrisy.

I have received phone calls at my office from the people at Redcliffe Primary School, which is just down the road from Belmay Primary School. Redcliffe School is in need of the same repairs and infrastructure being provided to Belmay Primary School in a vote-buying grab. Redcliffe Primary School is older than Belmay Primary School and it is in its centenary year. I congratulate this place of education, which has provided 100 years of service and education to the community. The school needs repairs to its roof, the gutters need replacing and the verandas are in a disgraceful condition. But the Carpenter government ignore the school’s needs because it does not suit them and their re-election plan. Redcliffe Primary School has been trying to get funding for nearly three years but it has not received any funding at all. It suits the government to ignore it. Redcliffe Primary School is in its centenary year and it has been overlooked for purely political reasons. The students are expected to learn and be educated in these substandard conditions.

The WA government are showing signs of desperation. They are spending money and pork-barrelling with huge amounts from a war chest of surpluses that actually belong to the taxpayers. The WA government are a disgrace for having sat on this money for so many years. I call on the voters of Western Australia to show the Carpenter Labor government what they think of the treatment the government have meted out for the last eight years and to toss them out at the WA state election on 6 September 2008.