Page 2604 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 8 August 1990
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I think we would all agree that Canberra was thrust into self-government, not of its own volition. We may have approached that differently, but people agree with that. We also agree that the Federal Government has not accepted its financial responsibility for the ACT. There is a lot more it could do and, indeed, a lot more it should do. We should be working toward that.
When it comes to the financial problems in the ACT, which we all agree we have, the Alliance Government is responsible for doing something about that, as are the rest of us. I believe that with school closures the Government has made a genuine attempt to try to handle what it sees as a problem. I think it well understood that the closures would not be a popular decision and no-one would make it politically. It has seen some problems and that is the solution it has arrived at. I think it is equally obvious that people in Canberra do not agree with that solution.
I know that Mr Humphries has said that there has been consultation - and, indeed, there has been a lot. Perhaps there was a major problem with the consultation and its timing. We had the announcement that 15 to 25 schools would be closing before there was any effective consultation. I think it would be like the people of Canberra saying they are going to sack members of this Assembly and then when members say, "Well, look, that's not really okay", they start to talk to us and let us know how many will be sacked and how soon.
The key to problems is working together. Everybody has problems; I think the only people who do not are dead. So there is nothing wrong with our having problems in the ACT. I firmly believe that the solutions exist and they are known by people somewhere. We simply need an effective consultation process, effective communication, between all members of this Assembly, between teachers, parents and citizens groups and other people within the community. With that consultation I fully believe that there would come solutions. Indeed, I am firmly of the belief at the moment that the consultation that has already gone on by the Alliance Government with members of the community has resulted in useful benefits.
Dr Kinloch: Thank you, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: Indeed. I think many people in Canberra talk about a vision for Canberra. One could almost say that there is a dream for Canberra that I have. Why a dream? Perhaps we look at it as being a wonderful goal. There are many goals, but I think some are very worthwhile.
The goal would be that government and the community worked together. This does not happen effectively anywhere in Australia, but I believe it could in Canberra. We are a very well educated population and obviously people are concerned to keep it that way. The ability out there is marvellous. There is a great deal of resource that people
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