Page 1826 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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I do not know whether that is a good idea or not, but that must be looked at. In Britain, the great socialist country of the 1960s and 1970s, the Government cancelled school buses completely and preserved the school system. What have you done, as an opposition, to assist us in that debate? Would you be prepared - as that courageous community worker said - to look at one of the greatest costs in the system, school bussing? Mr Humphries has said that half our students are out of catchment, and I dare say that when their parents are working a lot of them are taken to school by bus. Many of us have bussed our children around the area for years in this town.
Most certainly, Mr Speaker, in this debate we have seen a total failure to address the social imperatives of this issue - the setting of priorities within a shrinking economic situation in the Territory. We have seen a desire to use this debate for short-term political and electoral gain and to deflect the real community argument. Given the fact that on Sunday night I initiated a meeting between Frances Perkins, our Treasury people and Mr Humphries' group, I certainly believe that we have to go out there and assist the debate. You would not do that. Constructive things are now happening, and I think that Canberra people are too intelligent to be fooled by your stunts any longer. We will see a constructive resolution of this issue.
MR JENSEN (12.10): Mr Speaker, I rise briefly to speak in this debate as one who has had two children go through the ACT school system, from primary school right through to college. I have also been involved in parents and citizens associations, both as a member and at executive level, and on school boards. I was also a representative of a college during the last round of school closures in the ACT.
During that time, the previous Federal Minister who was responsible for this area sought to divide the community. Divide and rule - that was his option, that was the aim of the proposals that were put forward. I stood up at P and C council meetings and implored the groups to get together as they doing now. I support what is happening with the groups - getting together and talking about the issues, talking about the requirements and the needs for the education system.
I said to them at that time, "For goodness' sake, get together, get your arguments together, and do not fight each other, because that is what they want you to do". Those were the sorts of issues that were raised at the time, and I am pleased to see, at least in this case, that there has been some change in the process by which this issue is debated in the community.
Mr Speaker, today I wish to refer to a couple of issues about possible closures and subsequent sale of schools from a planning perspective. I refer in particular to some statements made on ABC radio by Mr Langmore, the member for Fraser. From my point of view they were disappointing
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