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- 2 May 2006
Blacktown Boys High School
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Page: 22392
Mr PAUL GIBSON (Blacktown) [5.15 p.m.]: Tonight I refer to Blacktown Boys High School, which is located in my electorate—a good school and one at which my son has taught. On 19 March 2006 the school received some bad publicity in the Sunday Telegraph. Before I deal with that issue I would like to state that young people need all the support we can give them. They need to know that their school has a good reputation because that has a lot to do with their self-respect, pride and self-esteem. If we hurt a school we hurt the kids who go to that school.
The story in the Sunday Telegraph, which was entitled "School a disgrace due to neglect", referred to rat infestations in classrooms, asbestos problems, terrible floor coverings, broken chairs, a lack of resources, police problems and brawls in the playground. Three photographs accompanied that story, the first of which showed a police car coming out of Blacktown Boys High School after a brawl. A good look at that photograph establishes the police car was coming out of Blacktown Girls High School and not Blacktown Boys High School, not after a brawl but after a Jim Anderson scholarship presentation that was attended by members of the police force and by me. So the first photograph was wrong.
The second photograph showed the principal putting a young person into an ambulance after a brawl, which again was wrong. The principal was putting a sick boy with a temperature of 36 or 37 degrees into an ambulance so he would receive appropriate medical attention. The third photograph depicted the terrible state of a classroom at that school but again that photograph was wrong. No such classroom exists at the school. The principal issued a report in which she stated there were no rat infestations at the school, no asbestos problems and no problems with brawling in the playground. She also said that five laboratories had had floor coverings replaced over Christmas and she answered all the criticisms aimed at the school. Blacktown Boys High School Parents and Citizens Association sent a letter to the editor in which it stated:
As parents and active members of the Blacktown Boys' High School P&C we find ourselves very irate and disappointed with the majority of the allegations that have been printed about our school and comments made by the Teachers Federation through their representative Mr Theo Bougatsas.
Our association with the school dates back to the 1960s. We are frequently at the school attending to P&C matters, school functions, panel duties and helping out anywhere as required. We are therefore quite familiar with the grounds, building, resources, teachers and students and we are very indignant at the allegations expressed in this article.
To make things worse, the shadow Minister, the honourable member for Wakehurst, visited the school at 3.50 p.m. on 11 April. After touring the school he described it as the most disgusting and the worst he had ever seen. He referred also to occupational health and safety nightmares and said he would shut up about conditions at the school if they were fixed, otherwise he would bring them to the attention of the Department of Education and Training. The shadow Minister was critical of the Department of Commerce and the Government's lack of action in relation to school maintenance. Yesterday the shadow Minister issued another press release in which he said:
Blacktown Boys High deserved better than Labor's 12 years of neglect and today's Federal funding of $150,000 shows the Liberal Party is serious about delivering a better learning environment to the boys of Blacktown High.
When I visited Blacktown Boys five weeks ago the physical surroundings shocked me.
Since the year 2000 this Government has spent over $600,000 on Blacktown Boys High School, not a measly one-off funding amount of $150,000 that has been received from the Federal Government. In the past 12 months alone this Government has spent $320,000 on carpets for 15 rooms, new floor coverings for five science laboratories, paint for classrooms and general roof repairs. But it gets better. I found out that New South Wales schools had to apply by August last year for round two funding under the Commonwealth Government's program. Blacktown Boys High School is one of only a handful of schools to receive funding—which should have been allocated nine months ago—under round two of the program. I have also discovered that the Commonwealth Government has called for applications under round three of the program. Those applications close on 10 May. The Federal Government has requested schools that applied for funding in round two to resubmit their applications during round three. It is the old pea and thimble trick. The Commonwealth Government is finally giving schools funding that it should have provided nine months ago.
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