Page 4253 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 20 November 1990
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We are reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of the central office of the administration. The efficiency and effectiveness of that central office was acknowledged by the Priorities Review Board earlier this year. We have made significant moves on literacy and numeracy over the last few months and a green paper has been released. At the same time we have given strong support for the International Year of Literacy. We continue to play an important role in the national collaboration curriculum activities. Of course, all these things have been achieved in the context of smaller resources available for public education and a reduced budget from the time when the Follett Government was in power.
I believe, Mr Speaker, that the evidence is that satisfactory outcomes can be achieved and have been achieved under this Government, and that we are effecting important reforms under this Government and will continue to do so. Mr Wood said that the process of change had been ineptly handled, but seemed to be inconsistent on some other points. At one stage he said that the level of consultation on the part of the Government was inadequate; but, on the other hand, he indicated that, in fact, it had been extremely extensive leading up to the period he mentioned - last Saturday - when a number of school groups discussed with me issues concerning education, particularly those arising from the Hudson report.
Mr Wood: The community demanded it.
MR HUMPHRIES: The fact of life is that consultation on this issue has been extremely extensive. In fact, I would dare say, without any fear of contradiction, that the degree of public consultation and discussion that occurred in 1988, when Mr Wood,s party closed - coincidentally - five schools, was considerably less than that which has occurred under this Government in respect of this proposal to close schools. That was considerably poorer and of a considerably less satisfactory nature than that conducted under this Government.
Mrs Grassby: Why do you keep living in the past?
MR HUMPHRIES: The Hudson report may not satisfy those opposite, although I suspect that nothing short of tablets of stone descending from heaven would satisfy those opposite in the way of documentary evidence; but the fact of life is that that process puts any previous processes for establishing a basis on which to close schools to some shame. There was no independent report for the Labor Government in 1988. There was no public consultation of the kind that happened under this Government in 1988. I can only say that Mr Wood is adopting a standard for this Government which he was not prepared to apply for the Labor Government in 1988.
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