Carmen Lawrence hypocritical about rationalisation

8/3/94

Education Minister Norman Moore has criticised Dr Carmen Lawrence for her bare-faced hypocrisy on school rationalisation.

Mr Moore said Dr Lawrence's by-election advertising pretending that she would stand against school closures, was in stark contrast to her recent lack of action, and past public statements as Premier.

When she was the Member for Glendalough, Dr Lawrence failed to write or make any official submission to the Minister whatsoever about the announced possibility that Leederville Primary School would close.

"She did not even bother to phone me," Mr Moore said.

The Minister said he also had a copy of a list of 45 schools, targeted for closure or amalgamation by the previous Labor Government, which went to Dr Lawrence when she was Minister for Education.

Past newspaper reports and the Parliamentary Hansard were full of statements by Dr Lawrence's previous Labor Government Ministers about the need for school rationalisation to provide a better quality education for children.

"Despite all this, Dr Lawrence ran a full-page advertisement in the February 26 edition of the Fremantle Herald under the banner headline '(Schools) Closing? - Not if Carmen Lawrence can help it.'

"This misleading advertisement, based on an unauthorised leaked list, directly contradicts statements made by Dr Lawrence when she was Premier."

An example was a Kalgoorlie Miner article published on November 12, 1990. In it, the then-Premier was quoted as saying '(school closures or amalgamations were)...... 'the best use of our resources, because every year we are building five or six new schools and not closing any.....and '..Despite the fears of country people, schools were more likely to close in the metropolitan area, in suburbs with a drop in population.'

"In the same article Dr Lawrence promised that the Labor Government's School Renewal Program, led ironically by MLC John Halden, would be releasing 'from time to time' details of schools which would meet the criteria for closure.'

The same article quoted the then Education Minister Dr Geoff Gallop as saying: 'Obviously there will be some closures and amalgamations of schools, but other schools will be enlarged and improved in the process, and new schools will be established.'

Mr Moore said Dr Lawrence should heed the advice of her former Education Minister Kay Hallahan who told Parliament on June 13, 1991 that 'the school renewal (rationalisation) program should not be a political football.  It will be a great temptation - it is made for it - but we need some leadership on this subject...'

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444 or 222 9595