Page 288 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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suggest that this is not a matter of quality of education. Indeed, the P and C Associations cite a survey of the Commonwealth Schools Commission of 1984 research results on the educational effects of school size, which concluded that primary schools should have fewer than 600 students. We are looking at something like 750.
Mr Wood: But no less than 300.
MR CORNWELL: Well, perhaps Mr Wood, because, as you would be aware, I am quoting from correspondence relating to this and I have questions on the notice paper for you. Obviously the P and C Associations are concerned about this, but they are even more concerned because, while it has been claimed that these peak enrolments will last for only a few years, in fact enrolments for each school will be in the range of 600 to 750 for about 12 years. I do not think that this can be regarded as a few years. The letter goes on:
In the long term these schools will have an estimated enrolment of about 330 each.
That is quite acceptable. It continues:
To plan for a smaller peak -
and this is important -
would result in long term lack of viability and possible closure of schools.
It is interesting that the Labor Party is suggesting a possible closure of schools if we do not have enrolments of that number, because we have an undertaking from Ms Follett that no further schools will be closed in the next three years. I would suggest again that this does not do a great deal for the quality of education. Whilst I have to admit that my own calculations on the total number of surplus spaces in government schools, as a result of information provided by the Minister for Education, were way out of line, which simply proves that I have a numeracy problem apparently, I do not resile from the fact that in the schools that had declining enrolments in the period 1990 to 1992 the number of surplus spaces has increased.
It is interesting to note that, in addition, some 1,140 places have been given over to the Minister for Urban Services at some four or five primary schools and that a further 850 places in our schools have been given over to special programs. I give notice to Mr Wood that I will be putting on the notice paper further questions about those figures. It is apparent that there are already pressures in at least one of the twinning schools and that the projected enrolments quoted for both Cook and Lyons - I speak of the original projections, I think, 155 at Cook this year and 140 at Lyons - are in fact less, as Mr Wood would be aware, with 111 at Cook and, I think, 112 at Lyons.
Finally, in this area of education we have the statement that the Government will continue to provide recurrent funding to non-government schools at a rate not less than the present 50 per cent of the Commonwealth's contribution. My only
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