WA Education and Training Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich is embroiled in another row, after only narrowly surviving a scandal over the mishandling of s-xual abuse claims against teachers.

Ravlich has twice told Parliament this year that she did not approve $100,000 in funding to the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

The minutes of a Building and Construction Industry Training Fund meeting, however, clearly state otherwise. Ravlich has also acknowledged that the union received the funds in a letter to the Master Builders Association.

The opposition now claims that the contradictions raise queries over whether Ravlich misled the parliament or did not know her department had approved funding to the CFMEU.

Shadow Minister for Education and Training Peter Collier says Ravlich has either been dishonest to the Parliament twice on the issue or is completely unaware of her department’s actions:

“On August 30, Minister Ravlich denied funding of $100,000 had been provided to the CFMEU and a further $100,000 to the BCITF,” Collier says.

“On September 12, she again denied the CFMEU had been funded by her department but confirmed she found out that day that a $67,850 appointment had been made to the BCITF … Minutes from the BCITF’s Career Promotion Committee meeting the following day – September 13 – painted a completely different picture of CFMEU funding and the timing of the BCITF appointment.”

Collier says Ravlich’s answers also completely differ from her response to the MBA. Ravlich has come under steady fire for her handling of curriculum issues. Yesterday the Western Australia’s School Teachers Union passed a motion of no-confidence in the Minister.