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May 22, 2006
The Upper House member for the South Metropolitan Region has continued to champion children’s issues while in parliament and recently successfully lobbied for the establishment of the position of Children’s Commissioner in WA. As the only Liberal politician based in Fremantle Mrs Scott believes there are a number of important issues for people in the Fremantle area, including the Eastern Bypass road, the live sheep trade and the future of Fremantle as a working port. The opportunity for a political career came as a result of Mrs Scott’s involvement in both the Community Kindergartens Association, which she founded, and the Meerilinga Young Children’s Foundation. Her interest in kindergarten education was sparked when her own children were very young and she continues to lobby for adequate resourcing of programs such as early intervention and health screening, to ensure children succeed at school. When she first entered parliament the Liberal / National Party Coalition had regained government. Mrs Scott was asked by the new Education Minister Norman Moore, to chair a taskforce to review and report on pre-compulsory education in WA. The Scott Report recommended publicly funded places for all four and five year old children. She is proud of the fact that WA is the only state in Australia to guarantee publicly funded kindergarten education for all four year old children. As Opposition Spokesperson on Children, the Arts and Censorship Mrs Scott is an energetic and busy politician. She encourages other women to consider a career in politics, as a way of making a valuable contribution to society.
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In her maiden speech to the WA Legislative Council in 1993, Barbara Scott spoke of her passionate belief in the value of every child receiving a quality early childhood education. The Fremantle based Liberal politician has been passionate about education throughout her life. From her early days as a student at the tiny one teacher school in Walgoolan, where her mainly female teachers inspired her to pursue a career in teaching. Her involvement in the Young Farmers movement gave Mrs Scott early experience in public speaking and debating, skills that are invaluable in her current position.