Page 2506 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 1991
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$950,000 out of the capital works program. They do not care what the consultation produces; they have made up their minds. There is not going to be any early amalgamation of the Stromlo High School, notwithstanding what the school community want. That is outrageous.
Labor cannot comprehend the fact that there are actually people out there in the community who see some value in a school consolidation - and they do see that value. Mr Wood was pretty shocked, I think, to discover that there are people who actually agree with what the Alliance Government was doing. In fact, they came to us and asked us to accelerate what we were doing, because it was important to their school community.
Let us go over this question of what the school community actually wants. That community was solid in the view that the consolidation should come forward, and it was not just the Weston campus. I asked the school leaders who came to speak to me, "Are you speaking just for the Weston campus, not for the Holder campus?". The person who answered me was the former chairman of the Holder High School P and C, who said to me, "I speak on behalf of my school community at Holder. We believe that we should go ahead as we have asked you".
To test that level of support, direct polling was done of the parents and teachers at those two campuses. That was not exhaustive in the sense that every person was required to give an answer, but everybody's view was solicited. The vast majority of responses to that polling said, "We want the thing to proceed quickly, that is, at the end of 1991". That was the direct view expressed by members of the school community. Who else should be asked in these circumstances? Ring-ins from other parts of Canberra? I do not think so. As far as I am concerned, the school community has spoken quite clearly and we, as an Assembly of this Territory, ought to acknowledge that desire by the school community and get on with the business of carrying it out.
Mr Wood thought he was defusing this issue by deferring the matter; in fact, he has ignited it. The school community deserves better than that. On this occasion it is we on this side of the chamber who are listening to the school community and Labor who are ignoring it. That should be put right as soon as possible.
MR DUBY (12.00): Mr Speaker, my remarks on this matter will be brief. I endorse the statements made by Mr Humphries in his very erudite speech. There is no question about the fact that the people of Weston Creek want this amalgamation to go ahead.
Mr Wood: Which people?
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