Page 4876 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
There is no question that we need to examine this area very carefully, and the matter of public importance, I believe, is appropriate. The question of funding of non-government schools in the Territory has been a vexed one for some time. A number of non-government schools have, for a number of years, made submissions to successive Federal and ACT governments about the appropriateness of arrangements being used in the Territory. For example, concerns have been expressed by the Canberra Grammar School, that is, the boys grammar school, about the appropriateness of its classification for Federal Government purposes as a category 1 school - a school receiving the minimum amount of Federal Government subsidy.
The ACT for many years has used Federal Government categories as the basis for its own funding of those schools. The question needs to be asked whether that is an appropriate course of action. The submission I make, and it is inherent in this matter of public importance, is that those categories are not appropriate, that the ACT should move to its own local or idiosyncratic method of funding which reflects local requirements and local needs and abandon the Federal Government's guidelines and categories as a basis of funding of ACT non-government schools.
Funding changes are very much in the wind, with the announcement last week of Dr Hewson's package; but, unfortunately, we have to wait a year or so before that can come into effect with the return of a Federal coalition government. In the meantime, we can certainly examine the appropriateness of our own arrangements in that respect, and I believe that this is an appropriate first step.
A number of particular issues would have to be examined by an inquiry such as that which I have foreshadowed in this MPI. One question that is particularly important to the preschool sector and gives rise to the reference to preschools in the MPI is the iniquitous situation in which non-government preschools find themselves in the ACT relative to non-government preschools in other States and Territories.
My advice - I would not swear to it absolutely, but I believe that it is accurate - is that the ACT's non-government preschools are the only ones in the entire nation that do not attract a measure of government funding. While I was Minister, the Montessori Society approached me about rectifying this problem. I regret that there was not time to deal with that matter before leaving office, but I believe that an inquiry such as that which I am foreshadowing now will be an appropriate way of examining that question.
I certainly understand the problems the Territory faces with respect to funding of anything at the present time. I know that it is difficult for us to find money for essential services; but I believe that in engaging in the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .