• Labor leader Mark McGowan and local ALP members visited the Liberal-held seat of Jandakot to hammer local MP Joe Francis on mergers, broken police promises and education cuts. But Mr Francis was nowhere to be seen. Photo by Carmelo Amalfi

FORCED mergers, broken police promises and education shortfalls featured highly during a tour of Cockburn by Labor leader Mark McGowan.

The Herald caught up with him outside Stargate shopping centre where he made a commitment to support locals fighting the proposal by Kwinana to carve up Cockburn with Fremantle.

“We want Cockburn to stay as it is,” he says. “The community is very angry.

“While this is happening, Liberal member for Jandakot Joe Francis is missing in action.

“Mr Francis’ own community is being attacked by the Barnett Government, but he has refused to speak up for their interests.”

The Herald put in a call to Mr Francis only to be told he was very busy.

Mr McGowan was joined on the Thursday tour by local Labor MP Fran Logan.

Mr McGowan says the government’s own Robson report recommended Cockburn stand alone, “yet this is being ignored”.

Also ignored was the need for high schools in the rapidly growing area around Atwell: “With nearly 1200 students at Atwell College this year, the Barnett government’s lack of forward planning is a real concern.

“A new high school at Hammond Park is inevitable, yet Colin Barnett is choosing to ignore the facts. The government has become so dysfunctional and chaotic that it is failing to deliver the most basic services to Perth’s growing communities.”

by CARMELO AMALFI