Page 1588 - Week 06 - Thursday, 3 May 1990
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discussions going on within the Government - rather too quietly within the Government - about the future of so many of those places of learning.
I would have thought it much more sensible, much more appropriate, for the Minister to make reference to these more vital issues of the day. He did not do so, but I will in this debate. This debate may be the only consultation that we are allowed. The Minister has said that there will be no consultation on school closures. He has gone on to say he will consult on the criteria to be used for school closures, and on those alone.
He is making a mistake. Let us look at some of the things that have happened in the last six or seven years. There have been proposals for school closures before. I do not argue against that. Demographic changes mean that schools do have to close from time to time. But if there had been no public debate in the past Deakin High School would be closed, and the sense in retaining Deakin is now evident. If there had not been that public debate no doubt the Government would have kept the neighbouring Woden Valley High School open and faced the problems of that. The community was able to show, and subsequent events have proved, the value of keeping Deakin High School open.
Narrabundah College was another that would have closed had there been no public debate. Scullin Primary School is another example. So there are cases for public debate. There are numbers of schools that have been on the margin for closing but public debate and time have shown the wisdom of keeping them open. When Mr Humphries reads this, as I hope he will, he will realise that he must have that public debate.
Let us look at his criteria that have so far been indicated. There are just two. He has spoken about 10,000 to 20,000 vacant places, a changing figure. He has also spoken about costs. I think we can dispense with the vacant places figure of 13,000 because it is a nonsense figure. It was chosen because it appeared more dramatic than any other figure. I think it has been shifted around so often that it no longer has any credibility. I am very happy to discuss figures about excess space. I have been involved in office positions in that sort of discussion. Let us talk about excess school rooms. That is the only sensible way to go. It makes more sense, it is understandable and it is much more meaningful. Let us forget this other nonsense figure that has been raised.
The second point that he raised was that of cost. Let us face it - I suppose there is a cost to education, a cost to the learning. I think that cost is warranted. The Minister made the statement recently that the closure of five schools a little while ago saved about $1m - $200,000 a school. They were primary schools. I will not argue about that figure. I think it sounds about right. It confirms what I was saying earlier, that you do not really
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