Page 2416 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
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Mr Humphries made some quite extraordinary comments about the relative merits of the public sector. Mr Humphries was the man who, as Minister for Health and Education, did everything in his power to reduce the public sector in both of those spheres and to impose upon the community a requirement to move into private education and private health, and he cannot deny that.
Mr Humphries also made reference to the amalgamation of the Holder and Waramanga high schools to Stromlo High School, and he has berated me for failing to accelerate his plans to amalgamate those two schools onto one campus. Mr Speaker, what he has not mentioned is that the accelerated plan would, firstly, have cost $2m. I do not know where Mr Humphries was planning to get the $2m from. Secondly, it would have involved the erection on the Stromlo campus of seven demountable classrooms. What kind of an improved educational outcome is that for the children moving? Mr Speaker, I think that our reversal of the acceleration decision, not of the amalgamation - a reversal of the acceleration - was taken with the best interests of both of those schools in mind, and I will not depart from it.
Mr Speaker, to conclude: I am grateful to members for their comments, but I think they should recognise that this is not the budget. It is a strategy statement. If you like, it is a progress statement on the formation of the budget. When the budget itself is framed there will be, of course, other opportunities for members to comment in greater detail. That process will probably take up a good period of the remainder of the life of this Assembly.
The budget of a Labor Government will be different, and you must expect it to be different, from the budget of a Liberal, Alliance, or any other sort of government. I am quite sure that Mr Kaine will recognise that. I am quite sure that members generally will recognise it. Whilst there may be a good deal of heated debate about exactly what is in that budget, you have to recognise that not all budgets are the same and that the Labor budget will be concentrating on social justice measures, as we have repeatedly said, on no reduction in services to the community, and on achieving a balanced and responsible budget.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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