Carpenter Replaces Willagee and Melville Primary Schools before Fitzroy Crossing the - "worst school in the State". Part 2
Aboriginal students at Fitzroy Crossing District High School would be very envious if they saw what facilities primary school students had in Carpenters pocket handkerchief electorate of Willagee.
Despite years of lobbying for a new school in Fitzroy Crossing which has been described as the "worst in the state" they had to wait until Carpenter's own electorate was looked after. At one stage students had to use buckets of water to flush toilets, after the water tank collapsed.
The 50-year-old school has been extensively damaged by floodwaters and 8 out of 10 students finished school at Fitzroy Crossing functionally illiterate. Some classes have been taught in school corridors because of a lack of space. The school was literally falling down.
Funds from the AlintaGas sale in 2000 were allocated by Colin Barnet the Education Minister at the time, for a significant upgrade which never took place after Carpenter became Minister for Education in 2001. Instead, Melville Primary School in Carpenter's electorate was fast tracked starting in 2002 soon after he became the Minister for Education at a cost of $5.5 million. It was built on a 7.95 ha. site. Standard primary school sites are 4.0 ha.
The old Melville Primary School was in much better condition than the old Fitzroy Crossing School. Carpenter even replaced Willagee Primary School in his electorate at a cost of $5.5 million before considering Fitzroy Crossing. He wonders why he has problems at Fitzroy Crossing. Well Alan, without a decent education, there is no real future for Aboriginal kids. It seem the rich and the poor these days are just the skilled and unskilled. So Aboriginals remain poor.
Well there is a lot more to hear about the worst Education Minister we have had - at least since WW2.
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