Mr. Staltari questions the Minister for Education's initial reluctance to guarantee funds for public schools from the Education Endowment Trust Fund. The Minister responds by highlighting increased overall education funding in the recent budget.

AnsweredQoN 250Legislative Assembly
Asked
7 May 2026
Portfolio
Education

QuestionView source ↗

Education Endowment Trust Fund—Public schools
250. Mr Liam Staltari to
the Minister for Education:
I have a
supplementary question. Why was the minister's first instinct a year ago not to
guarantee these funds for public schools?

AnswerView source ↗

The supplementary
question gives me the opportunity to put on the record the increase in funding
in education that we have had over an extended period of time. There seems to
be some sort of suggestion here that the $40 million provisioned in the
budget is somehow all that we are doing when it comes to education. Let me just
put on the record what I have been busy achieving with our Treasurer from last
year's budget to this year's budget. I want to put it on the record. In the
2025–26 budget we invested $669 million. In this year's budget we are investing
$754 million, so that tells members what I have been busy doing and achieving
over the last 12 months, in terms of the budget. In the 2025–26 budget, $1.7
billion was invested in the forward estimates. In this year's budget, in the
last 12 months, we are now investing $2.1 billion. I am very happy to
articulate to everybody here what I have busily been doing in the last 12
months. What I have been doing in the last 12 months is supporting increased
record investment in our schools throughout Western Australia.
The Speaker: Do we actually need your question, member
for Collie–Preston?
Ms Jodie Hanns: Can I try, Mr Speaker? I am sure the
minister has more material for us!
The Speaker: Member for Collie–Preston.

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