Page 2351 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 1 November 1989
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Let me state initially, Mr Speaker, that I did not support Mr Collaery's amendment because, as much as I do deplore the actions of the ACT Labor Party in this area, its promise was clearly that no school would be closed. Preschools were not mentioned, so I feel that the amendment does not quite come to grips with the problem. At the same time, let me use this opportunity to emphasise that I do deplore the Government's actions this far and I think that this amendment will make that a little clearer.
I have specifically chosen 1990 because the consultation period that we have spoken about is so very brief. At this stage, basically, the preschool advisory committees have been given something like three weeks to try to come to grips with this rather difficult decision which was aptly described as Sophie's choice by my colleague Mr Humphries. I have been quite specific about the words "for 1990". I am not talking about 1991, by which time an understanding of how the preschool system works can be given to parents and can be dealt with under those circumstances.
I have also included a stipulation about the full agreement of the local area advisory group and the Canberra Pre-school Society. Those groups are very much aware when such a situation arises that the preschools within their area are causing some problems. They are certainly aware of the standard procedures that Mr Whalan has described where preschool numbers drop below 17 and where the whole area has a reduction in numbers.
That is the sort of thing we are talking about, although Mr Whalan gave us some confusing figures. He quoted Central Canberra twice, first as having 62 vacancies, and secondly as having 93 vacancies. I am not quite sure how that happened, but it does indicate some confusion.
I urge members of this Assembly to take this opportunity to show their genuine support for the preschools by giving them a year's breathing time in accordance with the request of various preschool groups and supporting this amendment to the motion.
MR JENSEN (5.27): Mr Speaker, as a parent of two children - long past the preschool stage, I must add - I feel that I have some qualifications to speak about the preschool area. As a parent in Townsville, I was involved in the establishment of the preschool system that was being set up at the time by the Queensland Government. In those days, the proposal was that every state school in Queensland would have attached to it a government preschool, with a minimum of 25 students. The preschool of which I was the president of the P&C was one of the first to open in Townsville.
Later in my army career, when I moved to Canungra, I was the secretary of the preschool society there, which operated under the guise and through the arrangements of the Creche and Kindergarten Association of Queensland.
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