Page 2884 - Week 13 - Thursday, 23 November 1989
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moving people. I will perhaps leave that for another time, although I do think it has budget implications.
I will just make one last comment, and I will not make this comment in relation to section 80. I am aware there is one new budgetary consideration which is to do with the possibility of a new Protestant school somewhere in the Tuggeranong area. That, of course, is not in the present budget. I do hope that there will not be any move to disbar that school from coming into existence.
MR HUMPHRIES (10.48): Mr Speaker, I want to take this opportunity first of all to clear up a misapprehension which occurred yesterday. An amendment was circulated in my name referring to this division. We are dealing with division 70 now, are we not?
MR SPEAKER: Yes.
MR HUMPHRIES: It was an amendment dealing with division 70, suggesting that a $5m reduction would be proposed by the Liberal Party. I should indicate at the outset that it was never my intention that that be the case. An amendment was prepared in my office to amend the allocation for the Department of Community Services and Health. When that was redrafted here in the Assembly, unfortunately division 170 became division 70, which gave rise to some concern, I understand, in some quarters about the position of education funding. I make quite clear that no amendments were ever intended in respect of this part of the budget. Whether they are still intended in respect of Community Services and Health, I think I will leave that until we reach that point in the debate.
A few things should be said about government schooling. First of all, I think it is a matter of regret that there is no indication in the budget documents or in the Government statements to date that the Government intends to deal decisively with the question of the relationship between government and non-government schools and in particular in regard to the relationship between their relative funding in the ACT. We in the Liberal Party would very much like to see that addressed very soon. The uncertainty which still bedevils non-government schools is a matter of great regret and cannot assist in any way the cooperation between those two sectors of our school system.
I think my colleague Dr Kinloch has already referred to the problem of preschools in the Territory. Again, I welcome the Government's attempt, albeit belated, to settle the dust on that particular question. But I hope that we do considerably better next year when it comes to making sure that preschool communities can deal with certainty.
Division agreed to.
Division 70.2, $840,000, agreed to.
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