Opposition claims about State Budget unfounded

30/9/93

Education Minister Norman Moore has rejected claims about the State Budget by Pilbara MLA Larry Graham as paranoid and hypocritical.

Mr Moore said Mr Graham appeared to have selective amnesia about the previous Labor government's mismanagement and devious business dealings which had lost taxpayers about $1 billion.

"Taxpayers will be shelving out dollars for decades to come to clean up the financial mess left behind by Mr Graham's administration and will recognise the hypocrisy of his latest tirade," the Minister said.

"The Labor government left behind a demoralised and dispirited education system, promised full-time pre-primary for all five year olds leading up to the State election without sufficient budgeting for it, and were notorious for parachuting supporters into public service positions."

Mr Moore said he had not ruled out the possibility of having a university of the North-West, but the Pilbara 21 proposal to establish a new structure to administer the independent Hedland and Karratha Colleges, would simply duplicate administration and bring no more university education to the north.

"Mr Graham's obsession with conspiracy theories is evident in his ignorant claim about a university college proposal somehow being transferred to Bunbury," he said.

"The facts are that no Budget money is involved, but the Office of Higher Education is investigating whether to join the Bunbury campus of Edith Cowan University and the Bunbury TAFE College together to form a university college of Bunbury.  No final decision has been made."

"There is no link between the Bunbury and Pilbara situations."

Mr Moore said Mr Graham's other claims about the Budget were equally ridiculous.

The closure of the school at Shay Gap came because mining operations had ceased in the town, and the closure of Cygnet Bay was inevitable due to dramatically dwindling student numbers. Children were relocated to other schools in the Pilbara and the closures did not represent a reduction in education funding for the area.

The decision about Priority School Funding (PSP) for Hedland Senior High School was an automatic one made by the system, not by the Minister.  PSP funding depended upon Australian Bureau of Statistics data, which had been upgraded based on the latest census, resulting in 40 schools across the State coming off the PSP list and another 40 going on.  The Minister was not involved in the decision.

Pundulmurra College received extra staff in the State Budget and was allocated $787,000 for extra buildings such as a training annexe and workshop additions.  People appointed to the Pundulmurra Council were selected after the positions were advertised across the north of the State and were highly respected in the community.

"The only confusion created by the devolution document came because an unauthorised draft was leaked and misinterpreted," Mr Moore said.

"Mr Graham should get his facts straight before launching into public statements which are patently misinformed."

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444 or 222 9595 Mobile: 018 950 142