Legislative Assembly
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Legislative Assembly Thursday, 8 September 2011 THE SPEAKER (Mr G.A. Woodhams) took the chair at 9.00 am, and read prayers. SCHOOL CROSSWALK — SOUTH GUILDFORD Petition MRS M.H. ROBERTS (Midland) [9.01 am]: I have a petition bearing 699 signatures that is addressed as follows — To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned, say We are concerned that the decision by the Children’s Crossing & Road Safety (Applications) Committee to withdraw the children’s crossing located in South Guildford at Great Eastern Highway near Kidman Avenue is a decision made without taking into account the lack of alternative options. The only option that these children have to get to the Guildford Primary School from South Guildford is to cross the bridge over the Helena River and to do this they have to cross the VERY BUSY Great Eastern Highway to access the bridge. We believe by the withdrawal of the crossing the Committee has put the lives of the children of Guildford Primary School at risk Now we ask the Legislative Assembly (To urge the Minister for Police and Road Safety to review and overturn the decision of the Children’s Crossing & Road Safety (Applications) Committee and to reinstate the Type A status to the crossing) [See petition 464.] SCHOOL CROSSWALK — STRATTON Petition MRS M.H. ROBERTS (Midland) [9.02 am]: I have a further petition that bears 324 signatures and reads as follows — To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned, say We do not believe that 2 hour in 1 day is ample time to gain proper statistics as to the use of the school cross walk at Lewis Jones Cross near Drummore Elbow Stratton, and we also believe the agent doing the survey left the site before the children from the Middle Swan Childcare Centre used the crossing drastically reducing the numbers of children using the crossing in the survey. Due to this and the poor design of Lewis Jones Cross and poor street parking a dangerous situation is created for the children during pick up and drop off times at the school if traffic guards are removed. We believe that downgrading the crossing from Type A status and removing the Traffic Guards puts the children of Middle Swan Primary School and the Middle Swan Childcare Centre at undue risk. Now we ask the Legislative Assembly (To urge the Minister for Road Safety to review and overturn the decision of the Children’s Crossing & Road Safety Committee and to reinstate Type A status to the crossing) [See petition 465.] NO PRIVATISATION OF HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS BILL 2010 Petition MR A.J. WADDELL (Forrestfield) [9.03 am]: I have a petition that has been certified as conforming with the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. It contains 14 signatures and reads as follows — To the Honourable the speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned, say the State Government should not privatise services in any hospital including Midland Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Albany Hospital and the new children’s hospital. [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 8 September 2011] 7071 Schools and hospitals are essential services that should be publicly owned and run. Public ownership is crucial in providing a system of accountability and responsibility to ensure high standards of quality and care. Privatisation of essential services in schools and hospitals has failed in the past and will fail again. The Western Australia government can afford to provide us with quality public services, and we the undersigned do not want our schools and hospitals privatised. Now we ask the Legislative Assembly to urge the Premier Colin Barnett to vote in favour of, and encourage other Liberal Members of Parliament to vote in favour of, the No Privatisation of Hospitals and Schools Bill 2010. [See petition 466.] GNANGARA PRISON PROPOSAL Nonconforming Petition MR D.T. REDMAN (Blackwood–Stirling — Minister for Agriculture and Food) [9.04 am]: This is a petition of some 280 petitioners that says — We, the undersigned ratepayers of Gnangara do NOT support the building of a prison in the Gnangara locality at ANY TIME Mr Speaker, this is a noncompliant petition and I would like to table it on behalf of the member for Wanneroo, who passed it on to me. The SPEAKER: It being noncomplying, you can table it, but not as a petition as such. [See paper 3842.] SELECT COMMITTEE INTO CHILD MIGRATION — DOCUMENT RELEASE Statement by Speaker THE SPEAKER (Mr G.A. Woodhams): Members, I rise to inform you that under the provisions of standing order 32, I have approved the release of information relating to the Fairbridge Farm School at Pinjarra gathered by the former Legislative Assembly Select Committee into Child Migration. The request was made by the former member Hon Mike Barnett. The select committee was terminated prior to the conclusion of its inquiry as a result of the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly on 14 November 1996. Although the committee tabled an interim report on Wednesday, 13 November 1996, documents and material collected by the committee were not tabled and were therefore not publicly available. Under Legislative Assembly standing order 30, any committee evidence or documents that were not published or publicly released cannot be disclosed until the expiration of 10 years and subject to the determination of the Speaker. With regard to the abovementioned documents, the 10- year period expired on 14 November 2006, and I have decided to release the documents. PAPERS TABLED Papers were tabled and ordered to lie upon the table of the house. HERITAGE — GOVERNMENT MISMANAGEMENT Notice of Motion Mr J.N. Hyde gave notice that at the next sitting of the house he would move — That this house condemns the Minister for Heritage for — (1) mismanaging the review of the Heritage Act; and (2) failing to support adequate funding of regional heritage in WA, including for such important heritage buildings as the Bill Sewell Complex in Geraldton. SCHOOL-BASED POLICE OFFICERS Notice of Motion Mr B.S. Wyatt gave notice that at the next sitting of the house he would move — That this house condemns the Minister for Police; Emergency Services for — (1) his refusal to honour the government’s election promise to reinstate school-based police officers in consultation with local communities; and (2) his attempt to mislead this house on Wednesday, 7 September 2011 by asserting that “school- based” no longer means “based in schools”. 7072 [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 8 September 2011] MEDICAL SCHOOL GRADUATES — EMPLOYMENT Statement by Minister for Health DR K.D. HAMES (Dawesville — Minister for Health) [9.08 am]: I am pleased to report that a record 290 domestic and international medical students graduating from WA medical schools have been offered internships in WA’s public hospitals next year. This is a 20 per cent increase on internship numbers since 2009 and an increase of 25 on last year. The Liberal–National state government guaranteed to provide internships for all domestic graduates of WA medical schools, and we continue to deliver on that commitment. Furthermore, all 24 international medical students were offered placements. An extra $2.5 million was allocated in the 2011–12 budget for increased training and supervision, improved simulated learning support and medical education infrastructure in each hospital. Funding has been allocated for intern service, training and supervision at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital and Fremantle Hospital, as well as at country health services, community clinics and private hospitals. One hundred and ten interns will be based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, with placements also at Joondalup Health Campus, Swan District Hospital Campus and Osborne Park Hospital. One hundred interns will be appointed to Royal Perth Hospital, with placements at Bentley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital’s Shenton Park Campus. Fremantle Hospital will host 80 interns, who will rotate through Armadale–Kelmscott District Memorial Hospital, Rockingham General Hospital, Peel Health Campus, and Kaleeya Hospital. All interns will rotate through country health services, community clinics and private hospitals. VACSWIM PROGRAM Statement by Minister for Education DR E. CONSTABLE (Churchlands — Minister for Education) [9.10 am]: The Western Australian Vacswim program, which commenced in 1919, is the longest running vacation swimming program in Australia. It also attracts the greatest number of enrolments nationally for vacation swimming programs. Courses are available at over 200 swimming pool and beach locations across the state during the October and December–January school holidays. Vacswim, along with the Western Australian government’s in-term swimming program, promotes skills, safety, fitness and enjoyment of the many aquatic pastimes associated with our climate and environment. The courses are available to all students from across the government, Catholic and independent school sectors, and are promoted through schools and swimming centres. I am pleased to report that last year Vacswim recorded an increase in enrolments for the third year in succession. In recent years, over 55 000 Western Australians, as young as five years old, have had the opportunity to learn to swim properly and develop vital water safety skills under the guidance and encouragement of qualified swimming instructors. It is therefore pleasing to point out that Vacswim has also had an increase in applications from people aspiring to become instructors. The Western Australian government continues to work closely with training organisations and swimming centres to ensure that Austswim Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety courses are conducted in locations where there are predicted shortages of instructors—particularly in regional areas.