Page 2821 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 14 August 1990
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School Closures
MR MOORE (9.36): I rise to speak in the adjournment debate. It is very refreshing to see people from the Higgins Primary School here as part of their campaign against these people who are ruining the education system in Canberra. Let me start by saying that last year when the introductory English centre moved from the Ainslie Primary School - the school of my own children - it was a great disappointment for many of us at the Ainslie Primary School, because of what its presence offered to our children in addition to what our children could offer to the students at that centre. We felt that it was Higgins school's good luck that it was able to look after the introductory English centre.
We were aware that the cost at that stage of moving those students was about $100,000. I understand that this year it looks like it is going to be another $100,000 to relocate them. It is just one of the errors that were published in the rationale for closing Higgins Primary School along with a whole series of other errors right across Canberra. This Government made its decision on very, very shonky grounds. The reality of the matter is that the Government has no idea of the sort of costs it is inflicting in terms of straight economics or the emotional strains on the students and on their families. The Government probably is not even aware that, having closed the Higgins school, the equivalent capacity in the receiving schools, Holt and Latham, simply is not there. So what will the Government do? It will put transportables up - and this is supposed to increase the quality of education.
Anybody who has ever taught in transportables, as I have, will realise the impact that has on the quality of the education that you can deliver. I am sure that Mr Wood will verify that if he has been unfortunate enough to have taught in the sort of transportables that are around. They are noisy; they are uncomfortable.
Mr Wood: I taught under the mango tree.
MR MOORE: Oh, I forgot; you were in Queensland. We do not need to try and make our education system exactly the same quality as it is in Queensland, although that does appear to be the sort of aim that these people have.
Safety issues are most important, too. What about the poor children who have to cross Southern Cross Drive? What will be done there? What is the expense associated with getting them across there safely, and how will it be done? The underpass that currently exists to Latham is actually from Holt and not from Higgins, as was suggested by the Government's own rationale.
The reality of the matter is that the whole school closures debate has been totally incompetently handled. I have
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