WA accused of political censorship after Gillard-Ben Elton fundraiser moved from school

The WA Premier Colin Barnett has rejected claims his government exercised "outrageous political censorship" in cancelling a Labor fundraiser featuring British comedian Ben Elton, at a public school involving the Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The $125 a head event was to have been held at John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle tonight.

But the school cancelled the event yesterday, with the Education Minister saying his department had only just become aware it was a Labor fundraiser.

The event, which will now be held at Fremantle Victoria Hall, is a fundraiser for local Labor MP Melissa Parke.

"This is an extraordinary political intervention that displays a pettiness at the heart of the Barnett Government," she said.

"The Barnett Government may think it runs a police state here in WA, but we're not going to let them suppress a perfectly legitimate Fremantle political event."

Mr Barnett says the event would not have been approved in the first place if he had known it was for political gain.

"That was not made clear to the school or the education department," he said.

"When that became aware it was clearly against department policy, the Education Director-General Sharyn O'Neill made the decision it wasn't appropriate, informed the minister and he agreed.

"The minister informed me, I agreed.

Read the original:
WA accused of political censorship after Gillard-Ben Elton fundraiser moved from school