Last night during the adjournment debate I raised the issue of the much-needed playground expansion at Belmont Primary School and stated this could be done by the education department purchasing a property at 44 Regent Street, Belmont, which is currently on the market.
In reply the minister on duty, David Davis, again editorialised and attempted to pointscore and in doing so created a picture in Hansard that is simply untrue. The property in question, 44 Regent Street, was never on the market when Labor was in government. I raise this point this morning to give notice that I will continue to set the record straight every time there is an attempt by those opposite to distort reality.
In fact the real estate advertisement describes the property as a ‘rare development opportunity’, a large allotment of approximately 950 square metres. It goes on to say it has been ‘held by the same family for 40 years’.
Labor was not in government at that time — it was Mr Davis’s party. It was the Liberal government that lacked the foresight to purchase the property at the time. Students, staff, parents and many local residents who attended the school are just asking that this government do the right thing now and purchase 44 Regent Street and increase the playground space at Belmont Primary School.