Page 2719 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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Mr Moore: With what qualifications?
MR HUMPHRIES: You will see when it is tabled. It is prepared to accept the closure of preschools, which you apparently think is not possible. What is more, Mr Acting Speaker, the Canberra Pre-School Society has entered into negotiations with the Government. I can now advise the Assembly that the society has accepted that eight preschools should be allowed to close at the end of this school year.
Mr Moore: That's disgusting.
MR HUMPHRIES: It may be disgusting, but those in the society are prepared to sit down and consider realistically the problems facing preschool education and education generally in this Territory. Mr Moore and his acolytes over there obviously are not.
Mr Wood: I'm not an acolyte. Withdraw that.
MR HUMPHRIES: I withdraw the reference to Mr Wood being an acolyte of Mr Moore. Mr Wood has much more sense than to be in that position. Mr Acting Speaker, we have heard all sorts of twaddle from Mr Moore. I am sure that we are all very edified to hear how his son pees on him and things like that.
Mr Moore: I didn't say that at all. On a point of order, Mr Acting Speaker; that is certainly not what I said.
MR HUMPHRIES: The point is that Mr Moore's conception of education is wholly inaccurate. I want to refer to some of the things that he said, which simply are not borne out. This is not really to the point of the debate, but he referred to public education being better than private education. I would not want to denigrate non-government schools in that fashion. I think that is an entirely unfortunate reference. I also might point out that the evidence does not point in that direction. Of any State or territory, the ACT has the highest proportion - by quite a lot, in some cases - of children in non-government education.
Mr Berry: You are in trouble.
Mr Moore: It will go higher, Gary, with your sort of move.
MR HUMPHRIES: That has been the case, despite eight years of Labor government. It has not changed in that time.
Mr Berry: It has not been a Labor government. We had a Labor government here for just a few months before you tore it out of our hands.
MR HUMPHRIES: You have had eight years of Labor government in this Territory, Mr Berry.
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