Page 1906 - Week 07 - Thursday, 31 May 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
bring, are based on budgetary needs. The Follett Government brought down a responsible and balanced budget, in keeping with the need to adjust and reduce the level of Commonwealth support, without any thought of closing even one school.
The decision to close up to 25 schools has almost nothing to do with the budget. It has everything to do with the Liberal Party's ideology. The Liberals are using the budget as an excuse to implement their longstanding policy of destroying public education. They are following the same Liberal agenda as Mr Metherell, the Minister for Education in New South Wales. To the dismay of their fellow members in the community, the Residents Rally members of the Assembly, in a passive alliance with the Liberals, are meekly agreeing with this ideological attack on the community.
At least I can acknowledge that the Liberals are following their beliefs. It is their policy to do this sort of thing. We have seen it in every government that they have had in every State, and when they have been in government federally they have done it there also. However, I have nothing but scorn for the Residents Rally members, who have shamelessly gone against their election commitment to increase the funding for education. You only have to look at their policies to see this. At a meeting I attended last night, a member of the Residents Rally executive said that her executive did not agree with the Government's education policy. However, she added that she would not speak on behalf of the Residents Rally MLAs - which goes to show that the Residents Rally executive does not agree with those policies but unfortunately it has no say over its MLAs.
Just over a year ago they urged increased funding. Now that they are partners of this Government, they are quite happy to attack the system. Two of the Rally members have spouses in the education system, and I wonder whether those members would express here the arguments that must be presented to them by their spouses. The Residents Rally has lost all honour and all support. The sooner it withdraws from the scene or is rejected by the ACT population, as will surely happen, the better Canberra will be. At least the No Self Government Party was committed to the destruction of self-government. In the education sector, its negative policies are being effectively implemented.
Let me relate the Labor Party commitment. It is clear that no schools should close. We are committed to the neighbourhood schools. We made this promise before the election and in Government we kept this promise. We have demonstrated that we mean what we say. The speeches of the Government members in this debate indicate why education is so threatened. Mr Humphries, of course, has declined to talk about his real agenda.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .