Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH lord mayor Basil Zempilas has stepped up his fight with the Cook government over a site earmarked for a new primary school, accusing the state of “stealing” the land from council ratepayers.

Earlier this week education minister minister Tony Buti announced legislation would be introduced to Parliament to free the Queens Garden carpark behind the WACA from a restriction that prevents any other use, while it also compulsorily acquires some of the council-owned land for the school.

Mr Buti said the City of Perth would retain a portion of the carpark worth $27 million which could later be developed into housing, and $4.2m for lost revenue during the construction of the new primary school, which would be the only state public school in the council’s boundaries.

“The City of Perth has requested successive governments over several decades to repeal the Chevron Act and terminate the state agreement, none of which have progressed,” Mr Buti said.

“A new primary school is the ideal catalyst for this to happen.

“As education minister, my priority is ensuring young people, and their families, have access to a great public education close to home and this new primary school will offer that for people in our capital city.”

But Mr Zempilas was furious during a press conference earlier this week, claiming he’d only been given 30 seconds’ notice before Mr Buti’s announcement.

“Is 30 seconds’ notice before you make an announcement of this magnitude; is that negotiating in good faith, or is that a bullying style of operating, and is it a style that West Australians will continue to accept,” he said.

“The fact of the matter is, the City of Perth has been trying to negotiate in good faith for fair compensation for this land, which is owned by the ratepayers of the city of Perth, and rather than negotiate in good faith, they’ve been working on legislation behind the scenes and will introduce it to Parliament to steal this land off the ratepayers of the City of Perth. It is outrageous.

“There were six different options available to them, some cash, some land swap, some lease back, some others, but they did not even have the courtesy of negotiating with us.

“I want to be very, very clear on this; we all support, encourage, and want to help deliver a Primary School in East Perth.

“Our city needs it, our community needs it.”

‘Political’

Mr Zempilas said it was the state government’s slow response to the growing need for a school in the CBD that had led to the current impasse.

He also mocked a survey Perth MP John Carey presented to Parliament this week, claiming the Labor politician had only been able to gather 37 signatures supportive of the school.

But Mr Carey says the lord mayor was being “political” for only counting the physical signatures he’d gathered, while there were more than 1000 others who’d completed an online survey; they don’t conform to Parliamentary rules about petitions, but he says they’re still reflective of community support.

“I’m saddened by the approach of the lord mayor and the City of Perth,” Mr Carey told the Voice.

“It’s a $150 million investment in a public primary school, plus an uplift in the removing of a restriction on a lot of $30m, plus $2.4m for the lost revenue.

“That land has no value as it is, as it is governed by an Act and can only be used as a car park.”

Mr Carey said the City of Perth had previously ceded land for the construction of Elizabeth Quay under the Barnett government because of the broader benefits to the community, while there were other precedents such as Joondalup council which gave up 11.5 hectares for the Ocean Reef Marina.

“This is not a Club Med development.”

Mr Carey said the City could also afford to cede the land.

“The City of Perth has some of the biggest reserves, and it’s 0.05 per cent of their total turnover, so this is minuscule in terms of cara parking fees or the impact on ratepayers.

“The new East Perth Primary School will be the single biggest investment in a public primary school in our state’s history. 

“We’re talking a $150m investment from the Cook Labor government to deliver the East Perth Primary School.

“Our government is getting on with transformative projects that encourage people to live in our city – the ECU City Campus, the WACA redevelopment, the Pier Street affordable housing development, and a state-of-the-art inner-city primary school.”

by STEVE GRANT