Page 2638 - Week 12 - Thursday, 16 November 1989
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on Monday about whether I was meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday and I replied to Mr Kaine, "No, I am meeting with him tomorrow". So I do not think that members can really claim to have had absolutely no indication that that was the case.
Mr Kaine: I thought you would have given us a report, which I am now asking for.
MS FOLLETT: It is indeed a fact that I had a meeting with the Prime Minister on Tuesday, and also present at that meeting was the Acting Federal Treasurer, Mr Dawkins. At that meeting we discussed two broad issues. The first of those was the Commonwealth guarantee of real terms funding to the ACT and the subsequent action that took place on that matter at the Premiers Conference. The other matter that we discussed was the broad issue of the Federal Government's and the ACT Government's financial agreement on our achievement of self-government. Members will be aware that I had written to the Prime Minister some time ago on that question.
I think that letter has had fairly wide publicity and it was given to members of the budget consultative committee, so the contents of that letter, I believe, are in the public domain. I inform the house that, had there been a particular outcome to advise you of, I would have done so, but in fact I regard the meeting that I held with the Prime Minister as part of an ongoing negotiation on both of those important matters.
There is no particular outcome to report. Indeed, I have not heard formally from the Federal Government on either of those matters. I look forward to doing so because I believe that both of them are extremely important matters for the financial well-being of the ACT, and especially because I believe it is my job to fight as hard as I can for a fair financial outcome for the ACT. That is what I am concerned to do, and the meeting that I had was part of that process.
Schools Office Staff
DR KINLOCH: My question is to Mr Whalan as Minister for Education. Can the Minister advise what savings are envisaged from the relocation of Schools Office staff from Macarthur House to Tuggeranong? If there are savings, why not move the entire Department of Education staff to Tuggeranong?
MR WHALAN: I thank Dr Kinloch for the question. It is a pertinent question in view of the misconceptions that exist, firstly, as to some figures which have been posed by the president of the ACT Teachers Federation into allegations as to cost; secondly, as to the philosophy of relocating; and, thirdly, as to the need for the
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