❓ Mr Catania asks the Minister for Education how the Cook Labor government is supporting WA families with school costs. The Minister details the WA Student Assistance Payment and other cost-of-living relief measures, criticising the opposition's stance.
AnsweredQoN 268Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Cost-of-living relief—Education
268. Mr Steve Catania to
the Minister for Education:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to delivering meaningful cost-of-living relief
for Western Australians. Can the minister please outline to the house how the
Cook Labor government is supporting Western Australian families with the costs
of sending their kids to school?
268. Mr Steve Catania to
the Minister for Education:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to delivering meaningful cost-of-living relief
for Western Australians. Can the minister please outline to the house how the
Cook Labor government is supporting Western Australian families with the costs
of sending their kids to school?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for his question and his strong advocacy for his community, particularly when
it comes to making sure this Cook Labor government delivers on cost-of-living
relief. There is some $1 billion of important measures, which we know are
welcomed by families right around Western Australia. Before I make some
comments around the Western Australian student assistance payment, can I
acknowledge the Minister for Child Protection and the particular cost-of-living
relief in this year's budget around foster carers, who are supporting the most
vulnerable children in our state. I congratulate Minister McGurk on that
support, which has long been asked for by the foster care community and I
welcome it. It makes me very proud to be part of a Labor government. There are
crickets from that side on any initiative that assists vulnerable Western
Australians—extraordinary.
Members, of course,
as part of the budget, we announced a significant cost-of-living relief measure
in the Western Australian student assistance payment of over $80 million. This
is the third time we are providing this much needed cost-of-living relief to
some 500,000 eligible students right around the state. Importantly, it is $250
for secondary students and $150 for those students attending kindergarten or
primary school. From the previous two times when we rolled out this measure, we
know how important it is to support families and students, particularly with the
educational costs of sending kids to school. We are looking forward to rolling
out that payment again this year. We know it will make a difference,
particularly at the moment with the cost-of-living pressures. For people who
have ever tried to buy a new school uniform, a pair of shoes, a calculator or
even school lunches, this important measure will
make a real difference to families right across the state. Of course, it also complements
our other measures, whether it is free transport to school; the rollout of
the breakfast program right around the state; supporting schools and P&Cs with
canteen infrastructure, because we know they do such an important job in
providing nutritious and cheap food; our $300 KidSport vouchers; or even our
free flu and flu mist immunisation program. Because we do not think any student
should be left behind in education, this Western Australian student assistance
payment is available to all students, no matter where they go to school,
whether it be a public school, a Catholic school or an independent school, or
if students are enrolled in home education. It is baffling to hear the commentary
from the other side, particularly from the shadow Treasurer today. It is really
hard to work out what they actually stand for and what they would support. All
I hear is that this government is spending too much money, but they do not tell
us what they would cut. Would they cut the WASA payment? Would they cut relief
to foster carers? Would they cut the school breakfast program? If we are such a
big-spending government, it would be good to know what projects and what cost-of-living
relief would actually be cut by the other side.
The Treasurer
previously responded to claims from the other side that it is just a simple
administrative thing to get cost-of-living relief of such magnitude out the
door—it is simple! They really are clueless—absolutely clueless. Such
commentary provides no-one with any confidence that they could ever run an
agency in a government if they think that it does not require resourcing to
make sure that these payments reach the people they need to reach. The
Treasurer highlighted that, last year, claim rates in the Kimberley were up by some
57%. In the Pilbara, they were up by 25% last year. In the Goldfields, they
were up by 17%. I can tell members that it came at a cost. It came at an
administrative cost. It came at a cost to support principals to support their
communities in doing that work. Or is the presumption that everybody just works
for nothing out there? It came at a cost because we went into remote and
regional communities to let people know about these payments.
We do not apologise
for investing and making sure that, firstly, we get the message out and,
secondly, we support local communities and families by making sure that they
can access this cost-of-living measure. It is just galling, because we know
where this is going. On the one hand, they are complaining about an
administrative cost. Do we want to take any bets that in the next few weeks
they will start criticising us because people are not accessing the payment?
You know, opposition members cannot have it both ways—either they support this
payment or they do not. I can tell them one cheap way in which they could
support this payment this year instead of last year. There is a free and easy
way they could help me and our government get that message out: promote it on
their social media and Facebook feeds. Let your communities know. That does not
cost anything, member.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Thank you. Minister, if you could
conclude.
Ms Sabine Winton: Show a bit of bipartisanship when it
comes to cost-of-living relief. Join the community. Join our school
communities. Join our principals. Join our P&Cs and P&Fs. Be leaders in
the communities and support people getting access to our cost-of-living relief.
for his question and his strong advocacy for his community, particularly when
it comes to making sure this Cook Labor government delivers on cost-of-living
relief. There is some $1 billion of important measures, which we know are
welcomed by families right around Western Australia. Before I make some
comments around the Western Australian student assistance payment, can I
acknowledge the Minister for Child Protection and the particular cost-of-living
relief in this year's budget around foster carers, who are supporting the most
vulnerable children in our state. I congratulate Minister McGurk on that
support, which has long been asked for by the foster care community and I
welcome it. It makes me very proud to be part of a Labor government. There are
crickets from that side on any initiative that assists vulnerable Western
Australians—extraordinary.
Members, of course,
as part of the budget, we announced a significant cost-of-living relief measure
in the Western Australian student assistance payment of over $80 million. This
is the third time we are providing this much needed cost-of-living relief to
some 500,000 eligible students right around the state. Importantly, it is $250
for secondary students and $150 for those students attending kindergarten or
primary school. From the previous two times when we rolled out this measure, we
know how important it is to support families and students, particularly with the
educational costs of sending kids to school. We are looking forward to rolling
out that payment again this year. We know it will make a difference,
particularly at the moment with the cost-of-living pressures. For people who
have ever tried to buy a new school uniform, a pair of shoes, a calculator or
even school lunches, this important measure will
make a real difference to families right across the state. Of course, it also complements
our other measures, whether it is free transport to school; the rollout of
the breakfast program right around the state; supporting schools and P&Cs with
canteen infrastructure, because we know they do such an important job in
providing nutritious and cheap food; our $300 KidSport vouchers; or even our
free flu and flu mist immunisation program. Because we do not think any student
should be left behind in education, this Western Australian student assistance
payment is available to all students, no matter where they go to school,
whether it be a public school, a Catholic school or an independent school, or
if students are enrolled in home education. It is baffling to hear the commentary
from the other side, particularly from the shadow Treasurer today. It is really
hard to work out what they actually stand for and what they would support. All
I hear is that this government is spending too much money, but they do not tell
us what they would cut. Would they cut the WASA payment? Would they cut relief
to foster carers? Would they cut the school breakfast program? If we are such a
big-spending government, it would be good to know what projects and what cost-of-living
relief would actually be cut by the other side.
The Treasurer
previously responded to claims from the other side that it is just a simple
administrative thing to get cost-of-living relief of such magnitude out the
door—it is simple! They really are clueless—absolutely clueless. Such
commentary provides no-one with any confidence that they could ever run an
agency in a government if they think that it does not require resourcing to
make sure that these payments reach the people they need to reach. The
Treasurer highlighted that, last year, claim rates in the Kimberley were up by some
57%. In the Pilbara, they were up by 25% last year. In the Goldfields, they
were up by 17%. I can tell members that it came at a cost. It came at an
administrative cost. It came at a cost to support principals to support their
communities in doing that work. Or is the presumption that everybody just works
for nothing out there? It came at a cost because we went into remote and
regional communities to let people know about these payments.
We do not apologise
for investing and making sure that, firstly, we get the message out and,
secondly, we support local communities and families by making sure that they
can access this cost-of-living measure. It is just galling, because we know
where this is going. On the one hand, they are complaining about an
administrative cost. Do we want to take any bets that in the next few weeks
they will start criticising us because people are not accessing the payment?
You know, opposition members cannot have it both ways—either they support this
payment or they do not. I can tell them one cheap way in which they could
support this payment this year instead of last year. There is a free and easy
way they could help me and our government get that message out: promote it on
their social media and Facebook feeds. Let your communities know. That does not
cost anything, member.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Thank you. Minister, if you could
conclude.
Ms Sabine Winton: Show a bit of bipartisanship when it
comes to cost-of-living relief. Join the community. Join our school
communities. Join our principals. Join our P&Cs and P&Fs. Be leaders in
the communities and support people getting access to our cost-of-living relief.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.