Page 4985 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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learning for women in the ACT. I would like to reiterate that TAFE courses do need expanding. If the courses were there, if the funding was available, they would be filled.
Another important consideration in respect of TAFE courses is the provision of child-care. A lot of people cannot go to courses because of the lack of child-care, especially in the Tuggeranong area, where occasional care is very scarce and difficult to get hold of at appropriate times when courses are on.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (11.18): Mr Speaker, comments have been made by three speakers. In general they want more TAFE courses, attention to the outer areas of Canberra and protection of the outreach program. There was also Mr Jensen's comment about Narellan House. These are all matters that are right before the Government.
When I was in the Opposition, in that period of 18 months, I recognised the severe constraints that were being put on the Government of the time about TAFE. Mr Humphries may recall that I did not stand up and make comments about more places and more funding. We all know the difficulties of funding TAFE. We all know what the Grants Commission is saying. We all know that we want more students there.
But there is enormous pressure from the Federal Government, as they line us up with other States, to say that cannot be done. They were certainly the actions of members opposite when they were in the Alliance Government. The consolidation of campuses program continued under your administration, and I supported that. You were going to reduce the number of campuses. It is as simple as that. That program is continuing.
We acknowledge the great work of the outreach program. It is very likely to be relocated. Some element of the Aboriginal program may stay on the present site. This is part of that continuing process, that we have all supported, of consolidation of TAFE campuses.
Narellan House is an important issue. It is one where our prime concern is the interest of the students who will, over a period, be needing accommodation. When I make any comments publicly about that, that would be our major concern. Mr Speaker, TAFE is an important area. We recognise that. We welcome the Federal Government's funding - yet to be determined, finally, as to the amount for 1992 - for additional places, and we look with continuing interest into the longer-term funding of TAFE.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Consideration interrupted.
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