WA LIBERALS DELIVER $210M STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION

February 4, 2025 1:05 PM
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Libby Mettam
WA Liberal Leader
Donna Faragher
Shadow Minister for Community Services; Early Childhood Education; Youth; Seniors and Ageing
Nitin Vashisht
Liberal Candidate for Bateman

• Fourteen commitments worth $210m to improve the quality of education for WA children and young people

• Investing in education to help break the cycle of disadvantage, improve long-term outcomes and empower the next generation

• By prioritising early intervention and a system that works for all students, teachers and schools, WA students can excel, irrespective of personal circumstances.

The WA Liberals have announced fourteen commitments to enhance WA’s education system and ensure every child – regardless of their circumstances – gets the best possible education.  

When we invest in modern learning environments and evidence-based education strategies, we are not just improving student outcomes - we are reducing the need for costly interventions in the welfare, health, and justice systems later in life.  

This nearly $210 million policy is about delivering an education system that works for every child, every teacher, and every school. By prioritising early intervention, supporting student wellbeing, and addressing educational disparities, we can create a system where all students, no matter their postcode or personal circumstances, can excel.

1. EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The WA Liberals will invest $127m across a range of school infrastructure projects to ensure classrooms, outdoor spaces, and essential facilities are befitting a state as wealthy as WA.

2. PLAY-BASED LEARNING

Following calls from advocates, a WA Liberal Government will commit to developing a WA Play-Based Learning Strategy.  

We will also deliver a $2 million per year grant program over four years for nature playgrounds and sensory spaces in public primary schools and community kindergartens.

Under this program, primary schools and community kindergartens will be eligible to seek up to $30,000 which they can use to enhance nature play infrastructure and sensory spaces for students as well as purchasing play equipment.

3. EXPAND KINDILINK

The WA Liberals will provide funding for an additional 10 Kindilink programs throughout WA. Currently operating across 38 public schools, this successful play-and-learn initiative is designed to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are not old enough to enrol in school and their families.

4. EXPAND CALDEYLINK

Expand the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Early Years Link (CaLDEYLink) program into eight additional schools across WA.  

Operating like the successful Kindilink program, the program provides 6 hours a week of play-and-learn sessions for children who attend with a parent or carer with the aim of developing the children’s social, language and emotional capabilities prior to school entry.

5. COMMUNITY KINGERGARTENS

In 2017, WA Labor increased the enrolment threshold for community kindergartens to access staff and grant funding from 10 to 16 students. A Mettam Liberal Government will overturn Labor’s decision and revert to 10 enrolments and will also ensure the operational grant for each community kindergarten will be indexed to CPI.

6. PRINCIPAL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM

Expand YouthCARE’s Principal Chaplaincy Program to the Pilbara and Kimberley.

Initially launched as a pilot in the Great Southern, the program has since expanded across five regions – Great Southern, South West, Mid West, Wheatbelt, and Kalgoorlie/Boulder. Funding of $600,000 over three years will be provided to YouthCARE to expand this highly valued service to the Kimberley and Pilbara education regions.

7. BEHAVIOUR AND ENGAGEMENT CENTRES

Commit $500,000 for a business case to establish two new Behaviour and Engagement Centres. It is anticipated one will be north of the river, and one will be south of the river.  

This will provide support for students with complex and challenging anti-social behaviours, while giving them a safe learning environment.

8. SCHOOL SUPPORT SERVICE INITIATIVE

A Mettam Liberal Government will trial a student support service program to support student health and wellbeing and school attendance, particularly during the transition between primary and secondary school.

9. INCREASE THE BOARDING AWAY FROM HOME ALLOWANCE

The WA Liberals will double to Boarding Away From Home Allowance from $1,424 to $3,000 for the next four years correcting Labor’s mean-spirited and punitive cuts.

10. COUNTRY WEEK ASSISTANCE PAYMENT

Establish $8m Country Week Assistance program providing direct support to families.

Country Week is a long-standing tradition allowing regional students to come together to compete in sports, academic and cultural events.

11. SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM TRIAL

The WA Liberals will invest $5.2m over four years to run a trial of a School Lunch Program and to provide Nutrition and Food Literacy Education.  

As part of this, the WA Liberals will invest $700,000 over three years for FoodBank WA and OzHarvest work collaboratively to expand their food relief programs. OzHarvest will double the number of schools they are in from 115 to over 200, while FoodBank WA, will expand fresh food delivery to an additional 100 metro area schools.  

We will also invest in OzHarvest’s FEAST program, which will be delivered to an additional 100 schools focusing on low socio-economic schools (up from 180), and FoodBank WA’s Nom! program will be delivered across 100 additional schools.

12. SCHOOL-BASED SPEECH PATHOLOGY TRIAL

The WA Liberals will invest $8.8m to trial a school-based speech pathology service in 100 primary schools aimed at providing greater opportunities for students who need speech therapy to access face-to-face support on school grounds and to give teachers direct access to information and advice that complements their teaching practices.  

We will also investigate an appropriate location for a new Language Development Centre.

13. CHILD AND PARENT CENTRES

A Mettam Liberal Government will build 10 new Child and Parent Centres.  

Located on or near school sites, these one-stop hubs provide valuable health, community and family services in one location for children and their families yet only 1 has been added to the 21 operating under the previous Liberal Government.

14. ADHD SUPPORT

A Mettam Liberal Government will provide $250,000 per year over four years to ADHD WA to expand their professional development programs for teachers, principals and school staff.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO LIBBY METTAM, WA LIBERAL LEADER

A government that prioritises education is a government that invests in the future of our state.

When we invest in teachers, learning environments, and evidence-based strategies, we are reducing the need for further, more expensive interventions later in life.  

The WA Liberals’ education policy is about delivering WA an education system befitting a state as wealthy as ours.  

After the biggest boom in our state’s history, we shouldn’t be penalising families because they parents live in the regions, and we should be invested to intervene early to give kids the best possible outcomes.  

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO DONNA FARAGHER, SHADOW MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION; YOUTH

Investing in education is one of the most powerful ways to build a stronger, more prosperous Western Australia.  

A high-quality education system equips children with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to succeed in life, opening doors to future employment and economic security.

Providing students with the right support from their earliest years leads to greater engagement in learning, improved academic performance and better health and well-being.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO NITIN VASHISHT, WA LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR BATEMAN  

All parents just want the best for their kids, and this is about investing in kids early in life to equip them with the skills they need to succeed in life.  

All students should be given the opportunity to excel, irrespective of their postcode of personal circumstances.  

Our Building a Better Future blueprint is all about giving our kids better opportunities than the ones we received, and that starts with the education they receive.

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