Page 4987 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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gave heart to the schools and gave heart to what led to the Hudson inquiry and what led to the eventual outcome, including in due course the reopening of the Lyons and Cook schools.
I want to pay tribute, at this point, to the Labor Government and to all those who worked hard for the Lyons and Cook schools, Weetangera, Higgins, Rivett - all those schools. I want to honour the Labor Party's splendid act in showing their commitment to a document of promise.
MR HUMPHRIES (11.24): Mr Speaker, it seemed to me that some of my colleagues were flagging; so I thought I would come down and keep them going for a while. We could not end up finishing too early now, could we? Mr Speaker, I think it is worth reflecting on the position of government schooling under this budget and, in particular, noting that, although some attention has been directed towards the inequity of the Labor Government's cuts to non-government schools, in fact government education in this budget has also experienced some cuts.
Ms Follett: Indeed it has.
MR HUMPHRIES: Did I hear someone say, "Hear, hear"?
Ms Follett: No; I said, "Indeed".
MR HUMPHRIES: I thought someone said, "Hear, hear". Anyway, Mr Speaker, I do not think that is a matter of any great joy. I certainly regret the fact that there have to be cuts anywhere. It is interesting to note that there is a position in education where cuts have been experienced. With respect, it is highly understandable, given the position of education relative to the funding of education elsewhere in the country, and the pressure that is inevitably placed on administrators through operations such as the Grants Commission reports to reduce expenditure in these sorts of areas.
I for one felt, as Minister for Education, that there needed to be a reconsideration of our expenditure in this area. That is why, in due course, the Alliance Government, I might say unanimously at the time, agreed to proceed down the path of closing some schools. I think it is worth reflecting, though, that although this Government has reversed some decisions on school closures - some, not all - we still have a very difficult question posed for any government of the Territory, whether it is this Government or the government to be elected in February of next year, and that is how to make significant reductions in outlays in education and bring them into line with levels of expenditure in the States.
Of course, I hear the comment, or I will hear the comment, I am sure, that there is no reason for the ACT to be expending in education at the same level as the States merely because the States do, and that is a good argument; but a similar argument can be advanced about any area of
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