Page 1828 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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It is also possible that some of the schools that may be closed will be available for community welfare facilities. Rather than having to go to the expense of building new community facilities and welfare facilities, which my colleague Mr Collaery has already indicated are required by the community, it may be possible for those community facilities to be provided in some of these schools, if and when they are closed.
The other comment I wish to make relates to the fact that, if we close these schools, we would sell them all off at once. How ridiculous! Mr Humphries has never suggested that, as of next year, in 1991, all the schools are going to close at once. That has not been the case at all, Mr Speaker. The proposal has been that those schools, if they are closed, will be closed over a period of time. They will not be closed all at once. Therefore, Mr Speaker, there will be no flooding of the market for spaces for community facilities. There will be no flooding of the market with spaces for medium-density housing. It will be a controlled development.
Mr Collaery has already told us in another situation that there are people out there crying out for aged persons units, because of the increasing age of our community. It is not inappropriate for some of these sites to be used for that purpose. The people of Canberra will benefit from the sale of parts of those sites to enable those facilities to be built for the community - - -
Ms Follett: I thought you said you were not selling them.
MR JENSEN: Ms Follett is aware that we had discussions about the proposals for the development of housing commission homes in the Downer area. I seem to recall that we had a meeting on site in relation to that issue. It is important that those facilities be provided, but not necessarily on the site being proposed. We are looking at that issue again, as Ms Follett is well aware.
I put it to you, Mr Speaker, that from a leasing and land point of view, some of the comments that have been made have been an attempt, once again, to mislead the Canberra community. We see this quite regularly from the people opposite.
MR WOOD (12.17), in reply: Mr Speaker, the remarks of people opposite do not convince me that they understand the educational implications. In fact, Mr Jensen has just said it all. They have a very carefully thought out plan to sell off these sites. A long way down the track they have got it all planned.
Mr Kaine: That is rubbish, Bill. You are usually much more open-minded than that.
MR WOOD: I will quote you Mr Jensen's words, which I wrote down. He said, "We will not flood the market". It seems
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