Page 2181 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 6 June 1990
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of the ACT's class sizes may not be so damaging in those circumstances.
I was also asked whether we were doing anything about reducing class sizes. It is obvious that that would require resources. The Government, as Mr Berry is well aware, is involved in the process of channelling resources away from wasteful things, such as unnecessary infrastructure and maintaining and servicing unnecessary and unused school places, into more productive things, such as direct services to school age populations and particularly to maintaining the conditions of teachers and other things directly beneficial to education. Therefore, we will be attempting to provide as many resources as possible in areas such as reducing class sizes, but we acknowledge that that is a long-term aim rather than a short-term one.
MR COLLAERY: Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.
School Consolidations
MR HUMPHRIES: Yesterday, Mr Wood asked me a question about the lease of space in schools by community and other groups. He asked: What happens to a lessee if the school in which space is leased is closed? Where does the rent go? Is it a net drain or surplus?
My response to the question is as follows: Some 20 tenants currently lease space in ACT government schools. These include, for example, the Department of Health, the Australian Electoral Commission, Stagecoach Theatre, the French-Australian Preschool and the Parents and Citizens Council.
If a school is closed, such tenants may be relocated in another school. Priority will usually be given to tenants with education related roles to lease such space.
Tenants may also be located in some of the closed schools which would be used as community centres under the auspices of another department. It is not a normal function of the Department of Education to administer accommodation for community groups.
The rent is paid to the Department of Education and is offset against such direct costs as electricity and cleaning. The Department of Education leases space on a non-commercial basis involving varying degrees of subsidy. The criteria for subsidy are capacity to pay, relationship to the education system and degree of community service. The Government will continue to subsidise appropriate community groups.
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