Nationals WA Warren-Blackwood candidate Bevan Eatts opens election bid with $45m Margaret River promise

The first shots in the battle for Warren-Blackwood were fired this week, with the Nationals WA pledging $45 million for Margaret River Senior High School.

Despite significant growth concerns at the high school, State Government funds are yet to be allocated for an approved expansion plan which remains in limbo.

The final stages of the plan — which started almost 10 years ago — include a new resource library, cafeteria, performing arts auditorium and learning areas for design, technology and enterprise.

The promised money would also build extra classrooms, reducing the increased reliance on transportables and backing up a previous commitment from the Nationals, who previously held the Warren-Blackwood seat.

New candidate Bevan Eatts said the Nationals wanted to see the high school expanded to meet population growth as well as expectations demanded by the community.

He told the Times the “long overdue” commitment would be reflected in the Nationals’ first budget if they formed Government after the March 2025 election.

“With an original capacity of about 700 students, the school now caters for almost 1200 students and is rapidly growing, leading to overcrowding, placing pressure on staff and facilities and putting educational outcomes at risk,” Mr Eatts said.

“Parents, teachers, students and the wider Margaret River community are frustrated by constant excuses and a lack of action from the Minister for Education and their local Labor MP who have refused to prioritise this much-needed expansion.”

Mr Eatts noted the school’s stellar ATAR achievements but said the “crowded and substandard facilities” were holding it back.

“The teachers and staff at Margaret River Senior High School are second-to-none, helping students to consistently achieve high success rates,” he said.

The pledge was cheered on by school board representatives who have already voiced frustration at the lack of action from the State Government.

Board chair Barbara Maidment said her committee was united in support for the pledge and lamented the issue had to become a political football to see investment.

“We have one request: finish the build,” she said.

School president Joe Forte said the Parents and Citizens committee was grateful for the pledge, with the school projected to have 2000 students in the future.

“While you wouldn’t think the education of our kids would be a partisan issue, the current Government has shown no interest in getting our school to what is essentially the minimum standard for our current enrolment numbers,” he said.

“It’s great to have Bevan Eatts and the Nationals WA reaffirm the commitment they made to the school when they last held the local seat.”

The pledge will also feature in Upper House campaigning, with Cowaramup-based candidate Julie Kirby a frontrunner for a berth at Parliament.

Shadow education minister Peter Rundle said too many schools across the State were relying on portable classrooms and for activities to be run off-site.