Page 3656 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 15 October 1991
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Non-Government School Funding
MR STEVENSON: My question is to Mr Wood as the Minister for Education. In light of the community concern about the cuts to education funding for certain non-government schools and the fact that Mr Wood on two occasions - at the Albert Hall meeting on non-government schools and their concern about education and also in a letter to one of the schools that are receiving funding - stated that the funding would be maintained at existing levels prior to the budget, would he consider, first of all, valid community consultation with non-government schools and, secondly, keeping to the commitment that was made on behalf of the Labor Party?
MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, Mr Stevenson mentions community concern. Certainly, there is a community concern about education, the way in which the Government treats education and the way that we should do that fairly and equitably across the whole system. In these difficult times the Government has made hard decisions, although, I might say, they are not as hard as they would have been had the Alliance Government remained. The ALP, as the Government, has kept to its commitment to the basic formula that applies funds to non-government schools; that is, we maintain that commitment to fund those schools at half the level of the Commonwealth funds.
In response to Mr Stevenson, I can say that we have not wavered from that commitment. We have provided, in overall terms, greater assistance to non-government schools via that formula than the present Opposition would have done with its plans as detailed in the forward estimates. Mr Stevenson, on no small number of occasions over a quite long period, I have met with the various levels of representatives of non-government schools, and I will continue to carry on this consultation with them.
Hospital Budget Report
MR HUMPHRIES: My question is to the Minister for Health, who indicated last week that he would make available by last weekend the monthly report for September on the ACT hospital budget progress. He has not done so. I ask him: Why? Is he afraid to release these details to members of the Assembly and the public?
MR BERRY: Of course, Mr Humphries does not put together all - - -
Mr Jensen: We were going to get it on Saturday, we were told - by the weekend.
Mr Moore: We were originally going to get it on Friday, remember?
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