$100,000 Wasted on Department Name Change as Mascot Pre-School Hours Cut

The O'Farrell Liberal Government has spent $100,751 on changing one word in the official name of the Education Department but does not have money to fund Government run preschools. 

The Liberal Government has spent $100,751 on changing the name of the Department of Education and Training to the Department of Education and Communities.

This is a disgrace. They have told Mascot Pre-school to cut the number of hours a child can attend their pre-school next year because of budget restrictions but have hundreds of thousands to spend on changing ONE WORD in the name of a department.

From next year government run preschools, which currently offer preschool children 30 hours per week, have been told to cut those hours by half to 15 hours per week. The State Liberal Government cutting $1.7 billion from the education budget along with 361 jobs. 

This Liberal Government has got its priorities very wrong. 

This horrific waste of money is an insult to all the parents facing cuts to preschool, higher school fees and cuts to their kid's education as a result of the Government's $1.7 billion funding cuts. 

The Minister should explain to parents how changing the word training to communities makes our education system more efficient and effective. How does it provide a better education for our children. 

While the Minister is spending money on fancy letterheads and marketing consultants our school Principals are being told to cut back on everything from special needs support to school cleaners. 

I was delighted to be at Mascot Public  School this morning talking with parents who are understandably furious about the decision to cut back preschool hours for their children. 





Ron Hoenig collecting a Petition to Parliament Mascot Public School