Perth Voice Interactive

Half-a-million bucks disappear after election:

Mt Hawthorn primary school was quietly short-changed $550,000 in the WA state budget, infuriating its P&C.

Before the March 9 state election the school was promised $1.25 million for infrastructure upgrades. That was slashed to $700,000 when the Budget was announced two weeks ago.

P&C president Tim Swart says the school community has already spent the money in its head on extending undercover space for assemblies and performing arts.

“When we found out about the shortfall we had a meeting with Liberal Perth MP Eleni Evangel—she is going to try and get us the rest of the money,” Mr Swart told the Voice.

“Hopefully she’ll get back to us soon and we can sort this out. It is disappointing, because we are a growing school and we were banking on the extra space.”

Mt Hawthorn was a key battleground between then-Labor MP John Hyde and Ms Evangel. In February the Liberal heavily promoted the promised upgrades, including resurfacing the carpark and tennis and basketball courts.

The Voice contacted Ms Evangel for comment on this story, but she didn’t get back to us.

On Wednesday WA Labor leader Mark McGowan visited the school, saying the promised funding was needed to help it cope with growing demand across the inner-city.

“It’s just another broken promise,” he says.

“The school community has been arguing for this money for some time. Now those upgrades will have to be scaled back, it’s very disappointing.”

Mr McGowan’s visit came a day after WA education minister Peter Collier broke an assurance he’d given Friday about staff cuts. Four days after saying there would be none, he announced 500 jobs would go.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK