Page 4888 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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MR STEVENSON (3.47): There is no doubt that an inquiry is needed and, indeed, that it is urgent. Why is it urgent? It is urgent not because, as Mr Wood suggested, no-one had done anything previously but because the Labor Party has continually rejected the logical arguments presented by members in this Assembly. The Chief Minister is pretending to have a rather puzzled look on her face. You have continually rejected the approaches. It now becomes urgent at this late time to do something about it. We all thought, because of the blinding logic of the principle and the disagreement there was about what you have done, that you would change and do what is reasonable.
The funding cuts of 20 to 50 per cent are not backed up by logical reasoning. Though the Labor Party may deny it - what else can they do in public?
Mr Berry: The grammar schools would be nervous having you onside, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: Mr Berry makes a rather juvenile crack. I must make the point that what we get again and again from Labor Party members in the Assembly is cracks that certainly would not be put up with at school, and they should not be.
It is unfortunate that people in this community do not understand just what the members they have elected to the Assembly do in this Assembly. This is one of the reasons why I think it would be an excellent idea if we broadcast what is going on. Let me tell you: People do not know, and they should know. It is something that most people would never put up with in their schools, and they should not. Yet we get it from grown people in this Assembly again and again.
Mr Berry: How about a bit of relevance.
MR STEVENSON: The relevance is that the cuts are ideological cuts. They are not logical; they have never been able to be supported, and they will not be able to be supported in an inquiry. It really is to do with freedom of choice and other factors. When you listen to some of the members of the Labor Party speak you would think, "Do we have any non-government schools? Are there any students in Canberra going to these schools?". Is it one per cent of the population you do not need to be concerned about?
I think it is worthy of note - we know this, but who else knows it? - that one-third of ACT schoolchildren attend non-government schools. Less than 10 per cent of ACT Government recurrent funding goes to non-government schools. Where is the equity in that? Has the Labor Party ever approached this matter? It is beyond logic. Parents in Canberra want the taxes they pay towards education to go to the education of their children. How can you suggest that simply because the parents want some freedom of choice they should not get that funding for their children? Where is the logic?
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