Hard lesson as crumbling state schools face $441m fix

Perth Now

13 hours ago

Angry teachers demanding better pay and conditions are being exposed to leaking roofs, crumbling walls and mould at schools because a lack of funding.
A day after the biggest teachers' strike in Queensland history, a damning report has revealed a staggering $441 million repair bill to fix schools across the state.
The independent assessor's report claimed a third of state school assets were in poor condition and warned of health risks if it didn't improve.
Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek blamed the previous Labor government for the backlog of "unfit for purpose" school facilities that will take years to fix.
"We've heard about ceilings with exposed joists, termites in window frames, leaking roofs, gutters ... that are of real concern," he told a budget estimates hearing on Thursday.
"Now the repair bill is more than $441 million.
"It's higher because delays and dilly-dallying have left infrastructure worse than anticipated."
The Comprehensive Review of Infrastructure Renewal report, commissioned by the former Labor government in 2022, detailed the state of schools endured by unhappy teachers.
Thousands of educators walked off the job across the state on Wednesday demanding better pay and conditions after wage deal talks broke down.
Mr Langbroek on Thursday said the repair backlog was another issue teachers had to deal with after the independent report warned there was no quick fix.
Money had been diverted to new facilities over the years and insufficient funding to address debilitating infrastructure had led to further decay at schools, the report said.
Hundreds of schools needed repair, with some featuring damaged stairs, termite issues and mould.
"The current asset condition summary is representative of an infrastructure asset base with extensive deterioration that needs significant investment in renewal now and for the coming years," the report said.
If the repair backlog continued, health and safety issues may arise and the bill could blow out to more than $900 million by 2028/29, the report warned.
After assessors visited 1266 state schools, 32.2 per cent of assets were rated poor, 37 per cent fair and 29.2 per cent good.
An asset is rated "poor" if it is badly deteriorated and components fail frequently.
Queensland schools built after December 2017 and new buildings constructed after October 2021 were not factored into the assessment.
A four-year investment proposal to address repairs was outlined in the report.
The Liberal National government would invest $589 million towards facility renewal, legislative obligations, safety and upgrade programs in the coming years, Mr Langbroek said.
The education minister is seeking to continue negotiations with the teachers union, which has not ruled out further industrial action.
The Queensland government has referred the pay negotiations to the Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation.
More than 50,000 union members abandoned their classrooms on Wednesday after voting to strike for the first time in 16 years.