Page 191 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 1991
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to have it read into Hansard so that even more members of the ACT community can read it. It was extraordinary to see the reception that we got out in the community with this publication. It was extraordinary to see how many commuters on their buses early on Wednesday morning last were pleased to take this; were concerned about this issue; were pleased to read it and were to be seen reading and studying this position. This clearly is a matter that broadly affects the Canberra community and the Canberra community is sadly unimpressed by the display that the Government has put on in the handling of the education issue.
I think that the Canberra community is at one with Labor in its view that education is one of the first priorities of government; that the education of the young citizens of Canberra is a trust that the Government holds and that it should live up to, not an exercise for this madly ideological attack on the public school system, this confrontationist approach, this describing the community as ratbags, this glorification of conflict that we are seeing on a vital community issue. Mr Speaker, the Government stands condemned for its attack on the education system, for its failure to administer the education system as it should be administered, and that is as a trust for the citizens of Canberra and the future citizens of Canberra. It is the highest priority of government.
MR MOORE (11.30): It is hard to believe, Mr Speaker, that on such an important issue members of the Government sit there hoping that they will not have to speak. On the other hand, I see Mr Humphries rapidly making notes, so I presume that he will make some attempt to respond in due time, which, of course, is entirely appropriate. Quite clearly the difficulty with our education system starts with the attitude of the Government. It is most appropriate, as they see it, to cut the finances of the education system altogether. This, of course, is a totally inappropriate approach.
It is quite clear that the people of Canberra value their public education system, and value it highly. They expect the Government to set their priorities in such a way as to protect, enhance and improve the education system that we have in the ACT. That education system was a parental system. Under the Schools Authority parental system that we had, we would have seen a very different approach from the approach that has been taken by the Alliance Government and its education administration. Not only have they taken an impossible approach; it is also in many ways a hypocritical approach. Today for this speech I am going to draw from a supplement to the Schools Bulletin produced on 27 April 1989 which was the start of the notion of a culture of service. That supplement contained a paper that was written by Mr Max Sawatzki and called "A Vision of Service". Had they taken that vision of service and tried to apply some of their own ideas we would not have had such a divisive system as we have now. Had the Education
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