Member for the Agriculture Region Darren West has announced the money saved from the closure of the Moora Residential College will go towards other Labor funding promises, not budget repair.
During the first day back in Parliament Liberal member for the North Metropolitan Region, Tjorn Simba questioned Labor’s spending including $224,000 shade sales for Harrisdale Primary School.
“These must be made of gold,” Mr Simba said.
“For gossamer fabric, that is extraordinary.”
To which Mr West interjected defending Labor’s spending.
“Are you suggesting we should not do any of that?” Mr West asked.
“I am not reflecting on the quality of any of these projects, but the whole justification is flawed,” Mr Simba said.
“This is not about budget relief; this is about funding election commitments.”
Mr West agreed to the comment.
“Correct,” he said. “They are election commitments and we honoured them.”
Martin Aldridge, Nationals Member for the Agricultural Region, quickly took to Twitter to share his oppositions sentiments.
Speaking to the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate Mr Aldridge said the admission from Mr West is not surprising.
“I think Darren has now admitted to the Parliament what we have known for a long time and the Government hasn’t been able to come clean on which is their cuts to regional education among other things isn’t about budget repair, it was never about budget repair,” he said.
“It is indeed about them funding their election commitments most of which you’ll find in Perth’s Labor electorates.”
At the end of the Parliament session Mr West went on the record to defend himself.
“I would just like to clarify for members of the house some comments that were made today during the debate on royalties for regions, and an interjection I made across the chamber to Hon Tjorn Sibma,” Mr West said.
“I went back to the uncorrected Hansard and re-read what was happening and, as it turns out, I just missed a little piece of what the honourable member said, and it completely changed the context of my interjection.
“I want to put on the record fairly, squarely and very clearly, especially for those opposition members who have taken to Twitter in their excitement, that there is absolutely no linkage between the changes made to education by this government and the Local Projects, Local Jobs election commitments that were made before the election.
“ I thought it was important to get that on the record, just to quell the excitement, and the fact that I did just miss a couple of words that the member said.
“I do not think it will shock anyone that we get a bit excited from time to time but, just to clarify the record and put on the record, we stand by all the things we have done in the name of budget repair, but we also stand by our election commitments, and those two matters are not linked.”
