Liberals back in funding coup for Margaret River Senior High School while Labor dodges commitments

The region’s Liberal candidate for next year’s State election says his party will match the pledge from Opposition partners to fast-track immediate investment in Margaret River Senior High School. Shire of Manjimup councillor and ex-president Wade de Campo painted a broad picture about the Liberals’ priorities in seeking to win Warren-Blackwood at next year’s State election which included honouring a previous election pitch for the school. While dropping teasers that also foreshadowed big news for Margaret River Hospital, Mr de Campo said Nationals candidate Bevan Eatts — who made the pledge last week in a Times exclusive — was quick off the mark, but not doing anything the Liberals didn’t also support. “It was our policy too, going into the last election,” Mr de Campo said. “We will make that commitment shortly, but certainly we were always going to build the second stage of the high school.” Mr de Campo said the school needed immediate work to cater for an expected 1800 students by 2030, with enrolments now at about 1250 with year-on-year growth. The final stages of the plan — started almost 10 years ago — included a new resource library, cafeteria, performing arts auditorium and learning areas for design, technology and enterprise. Shire of Augusta-Margaret River councillors recently lamented the addition of yet more transportable classrooms to make up capacity, while school board chair Barbara Maidment said serious safety concerns were raised as a result. Labor incumbent Jane Kelsbie was yet to make any pledges and declined to comment on her party’s failure to deliver the remaining money already promised for the stalled MRSHS expansion project. “Over the last four years, the Cook Labor Government has invested more than $36 million into upgrades at MRSHS,” she told the Times. Although she detailed the benefits of that project which included a new sports oval, dedicated science and sport buildings and facilities, last week the Times reported the frustrations of the Margaret River Senior High School board and Parents and Citizens committee at how honouring the existing pledge had become a political football. Instead, Ms Kelsbie said she would “continue to advocate” for the school. “The National Party’s announcement is nothing more than an empty promise,” Ms Kelsbie said. “Like every National Party election commitment, they can’t deliver it unless the Liberals agree — and right now, we’re not seeing the dysfunctional Liberals and Nationals agree on anything.” Despite repeated stonewalling of inquiries by the Times and local stakeholders — including the shire council — being forced to go into bat for the stalled school expansion, Ms Kelsbie claimed “only Labor can deliver for Margaret River”.