Govt to spend $410m on WA schools

The state government will allocate $410 million to build and upgrade school infrastructure across Western Australia in the upcoming budget.

Premier Roger Cook and Education Minister Tony Buti today announced the $410 million was part of the $1.6 billion investment projected in the forward estimates, to be delivered over four years.

It would take the state government’s spending on education infrastructure to $4.4 billion since 2017, Mr Buti said.

Mr Buti said the $410 million allocation in the 2024-25 budget would include $88.4 million for three new primary schools and $73.2 million towards the second stage of Piara Waters Senior High School.

“There is a long list of announcements in this budget in regards to education … the budget that will be brought down on the ninth of May will include $410 million investment in infrastructure in our school system,” he said.

“The thing about the investments that we will be announcing in the budget … is that it doesn't matter where you are, from Esperance Senior High School, Como Senior High School, Highgate Primary School, Caversham Primary School, Challis in Armadale or Piara Waters here, we are ensuring that it doesn't matter where you go to school in Western Australia that you have the infrastructure to ensure that you can enjoy a proper education.

“The infrastructure is very important to ensure that students feel good about themselves and teachers had the proper facilities to teach.”

The $73.2 million for Piara Waters comprises new classrooms, auditorium and new special education facilities, Mr Buti said.

Piara Waters Senior High School opened last year and the proposed upgrades would double its student capacity to 1,650.

Mr Buti remained tight lipped about the location of the new three public primary schools, which were expected to open for the 2027 school year.

“Governments usually don’t announce until a few years before where new primary schools will be,” Mr Buti said in response to questioning on a lack of detail.

“We have to do the proper planning and ensure that we’ve got the proper site, and then we’ll announce where we’re doing it.” 

The $410 million investment also includes $28.4 million to build primary schools in Wellard East and Dugong, a $26.5 million double-storey block at Caversham Primary School, $21.8 million to relocate Mount Hawthorn Education Support Centre to Lake Monger Primary School, and $12 million for a two-storey, 160-student capacity classroom block at Highgate Primary School.

The state government announced it would also spend $79.6 million on new transportable buildings.

Talk of government spending in the outer suburbs invariably gravitated back to the city centre at this morning’s press conference, where a dispute between the state and the local council has made headlines recently.

A government release said planning towards a new $100 million-plus inner-city primary school at East Perth – over which it has been embroiled in a spat with City of Perth Lord Mayor and Liberal candidate Basil Zempilas – was progressing.

Mr Buti called on the city to come to the table on its primary school plan.

“We want the city to sit down with us, and let’s plan for this beautiful, much-needed inner-city primary school,” he said.

Mr Buti said the city had not yet responded to the government’s plan, which would see a parcel of land on Nelson Crescent developed into a school, in writing.

The land is currently being used as a car park, and Mr Zempilas has called on the government to pay for the site – claiming an earlier offer of payment was subsequently withdrawn.  

The budget put forward for three new primary schools did not include funds for the East Perth proposal.