Page 3263 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 October 2022
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The pathetic responses and the non-answers from the minister and the new board chair are a disgrace with respect to the privilege of their public roles and their responsibilities to the Canberra community. Honestly, Madam Speaker, if someone put these series of events forward as a script for an episode of Utopia or Yes Minister, people would reject it as fanciful. But this is the very real and very sad reality happening right here in the ACT under the helm of more than 20 years of a Labor-Greens government.
The real shame of it is that the teachers and students at CIT are the ones who are the real losers in this situation. The teachers, who are so passionate about seeing their students thrive, and the students, who are there to learn critical, job-ready skills, are missing out on the cutting-edge training, materials and support they need, at a time when we are facing a chronic skill shortage and employers are pleading for more skilled staff.
The minister has completely failed in his stewardship of the skills portfolio, and I have no faith that he will be able to turn it around. His actions since we uncovered this whole scandal have demonstrated not only his inability to fix it but also his refusal to fix it. His greatest show of poor judgement has been to allow the deputy chair to step up to the chair’s role, despite her utter failure to do anything about these contracts as deputy chair.
The teachers and students at CIT deserve so much better, our city deserves so much better, and the minister must step up and take responsibility. If he does not, he will have confirmed to the community that he does not have what it takes to be a minister with responsibility for such an important portfolio.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
City Renewal Authority—Part 1.14.
Debate (on motion by Ms Cheyne) adjourned to the next sitting.
Adjournment
Motion (by Ms Cheyne) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Housing—energy efficiency
MS VASSAROTTI (Kurrajong—Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage, Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services and Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction) (5.51): We speak a lot about things that we need to do to future-proof our city in light of climate change. Those in this chamber know that I have been working with building ministers across the country to improve energy efficiency standards of residential homes across Australia. Raising the standard is important. What is also important is highlighting the ways that people are
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