Labor's plan to scrap City Beach High School for a CBD high-rise public school, criticised by Premier
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Labor's announcement to scrap plans for a high school in City Beach and build a high-rise public secondary school in the city instead is "totally wrong", the WA Premier has said.
Opposition leader Mark McGowan today unveiled a $45 million pledge for the new school, Perth Academic College, that would be located at the Perth City Link development.
Under the proposal, students from the state's only academically selective school, Perth Modern, located in Subiaco, would be relocated to the new school - leaving Perth Modern to become a public secondary school.
The plan would also scrap the State Government's plans for the new City Beach College.
Premier Colin Barnett said a high school was needed in the western suburbs, not the city.
"To say that you're not going to proceed with a school in City Beach is just totally wrong," Mr Barnett said.
"You cannot just simply walk away from where there is a massive demand for accommodation for students."
The Liberal National Government pledged $84 million to upgrade the site of the former City Beach High School to ease growing enrolment pressure in Perth's western suburbs.
The original City Beach High School was closed by the Gallop Government in 2005, when it had 87 students, and the closing of Scarborough Senior High School and the amalgamation of Hollywood and Swanbourne High Schools into Shenton College followed.
But a change in demographics, with more families choosing to live in the inner city, and an economic downturn in a post mining boom environment has meant the remaining schools servicing the western suburbs are bursting at the seams.
Churchlands Senior High School' student body grew from 1,443 in 2011 to 2,293 last year. Shenton College has grown to 1,855 students.
Under Labor's plan, the solution for that pressure would be eased by opening up Perth Modern to the public in 2020.
Mr McGowan said Labor would change local intake boundaries, as per State Government plans, to take enrolment pressure off Churchlands, Shenton College and Mt Lawley Senior High Schools.
"WA Labor's plan brings the brightest students together, in the heart of the city and in a purpose built facility linked to a new and improved Scitech," Mr McGowan said.
"This will be Perth's first integrated learning precinct, with direct links to nearby existing facilities including the State Theatre Centre of WA, the Art Gallery of WA and the State Library."
School needed in CBD, but not for a long time: Premier
Mr Barnett acknowledged the growing population in the CBD as an issue, but a long-term one.
"The population still in the actually inner-city area of school-aged students is still very low," Mr Barnett said.
"And would not sustain a high-rise high school, at least for a number of years. But that planning is in place, probably there's a need for expansion of some of the inner-city existing schools."
Education Minister Peter Collier said Labor's plan was politically motivated.
"Planning for City Beach College ... has been meticulous and is based on rock solid population and enrolment data," Mr Collier said.
"It is based entirely on politics, that is assisting the Labor party in the seats of Perth and Mount Lawley than what is educationally sound practice."
Topics: education, perth-6000
