Page 1111 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The National Capital Planning Authority has also indicated its intention to do further work in 1990-91 on possible urban uses for the Symonston-Jerrabomberra area. I welcome these actions of the authority as practical recognition of Canberra's needs and financial capacity to pay.
However, my Government will be seeking review of other positions adopted in the National Capital Plan, particularly the refusal, so far, to countenance urban use of the CSIRO land in Belconnen.
Technical and further education is another area where we will need to consider a more appropriate strategy. The Government recognises that an effective and responsive vocational education system is critical to economic development in the ACT. Technological change and award restructuring accentuate the need for a dynamic and innovative TAFE system. Notwithstanding the major restructuring of ACT TAFE in the last three years, further savings are needed to eliminate the over standard funding identified by the Grants Commission.
As with schools, there are limits to the saving that can be achieved by trimming at the edges of the current TAFE arrangements without affecting quality. Of course, efficiency improvements need to be vigorously pursued. But substantial savings will require more strategic approaches.
These will include rationalisation of TAFE's school structure and campus consolidation. Course offerings will be reviewed in line with demand, as occurred in 1990. And TAFE will be reviewing its relationship with other training and education entities, particularly in light of the now very high retention rates in years 11 and 12 in our colleges.
There is one other important option for TAFE. That is to increase the emphasis on TAFE as an industry, as well as a public vocational training provider. TAFE has capacity to sell educational courses and services to industry and to students from beyond the ACT and the south-east region, possibly including some from overseas. TAFE will also be actively seeking contributions from industry, either in direct funding or in kind.
We are also looking very closely at the contribution that ACT off-budget statutory authorities make to the overall budget. Such authorities' assets need to provide a commercially acceptable rate of return, both to finance their expansion and to provide dividends to their owners, the people of the ACT.
ACTEW, as a statutory authority providing electricity, water and sewerage services to the ACT community, is contributing $5m by way of dividend to the 1989-90 ACT budget. This is assumed to increase marginally over the years to which the Forward Estimates relate. The appropriateness of this level of dividend will be
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .