A protest at Parliament House today against the closure of the Tier 3 rail lines in the Wheatbelt has received backing from the Fremantle community, and Simone McGurk was there to show her support.

She joined the Fremantle Road to Rail campaign alongside by Willagee MP Peter Tinley and Kwinana MP Roger Cook to protest against the Barnett Government closing the important rail lines servicing agricultural areas in the South-West.

“It was particularly galling to see National MPs at the rally, as if they support communities in the Wheatbelt, who are rightly furious that the Tier 3 rail line will be closed,” she said.

“The Nationals are just as culpable as the Liberals, both whom made explicit commitments before the election that the rail line would be kept open.”

The Barnett Government is continuing to leave Fremantle parents and students in limbo, refusing to reveal its plans to amalgamate South Fremantle Senior High School and Hamilton Senior High School.

In a parliamentary grievance to the Premier, who arrived late to the chamber, Fremantle Labor MP Simone McGurk slammed the Government for creating uncertainty among the parents and students.

“The Fremantle community has a right to quality public high schools.  The amalgamation process gives an opportunity to deliver a quality school that can capitalise on the current strengths of the contributing schools, and on planned increased density in Fremantle.

“Leadership and a clear plan for reform are crucial if this amalgamation is to succeed. So far this has not been apparent, but it is not too late,” Ms McGurk said.

The Premier confirmed an earlier commitment that his Government would make an announcement by the end of the year.

Outside Parliament Ms McGurk was joined by a group of Fremantle parents, who had watched her grievance from the public gallery.

She called on the Government to make a sizeable investment in the amalgamated school, and to guarantee that there would be a wide range of university entrance subjects available to students.

Ms McGurk said high schools had suffered funding cuts as a result of the Government’s new funding model, highlighting that the new school needed the resources to make it greater than the sum of its parts.

“There has to be a very clear strategy and an allocation of resources to make sure that an amalgamated high school is the best the State has to offer,” she said.

The wellbeing of dozens of Fremantle pain management patients has been put in jeopardy, with the Barnett Government cutting back staffing levels as it moves the clinic to the new Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Fremantle Labor MP Simone McGurk said the Government was cutting resources from the clinic’s STEPS program, which would mean that up to half the current team would not be relocated to the new hospital.

“This is an award-winning program which has made a material difference to the lives of hundreds of people who suffer from chronic pain.

“Patients speak of this non-drug approach to chronic pain management being crucial in them being able to function, and they are incredulous that the program is being cut,” Ms McGurk said.

She said the fact that Notre Dame University in Fremantle was about to appoint a new Chair in Chronic Pain education showed just how out of touch the Barnett Government was with the needs of patients.

“The Barnett Government must reinstate the full staff component of STEPS at Fiona Stanley Hospital.

“It seems completely nonsensical that years of multi-disciplinary experience will be lost when half the team are not relocated to the new hospital.

“It’s obvious that the Barnett Government is using the commissioning of the new hospital to cut existing health programs to fund their hopeless budget management.

“It’s disingenuous, and it’s playing with people’s lives,” Ms McGurk said.

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