Page 2249 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 15 September 1992
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Open Learning Program
MR CORNWELL: My question is to Mr Wood, the Minister for Education. It is not about this budget, Mr Wood; it is about the Federal budget. I refer to the $53m over the next three years for an open learning program for studying from home which was announced. The initiative will allow "every Australian with access to a television or a letterbox to now have access to a university education". Could you advise the Assembly of how much of that $53m is to be allocated to the ACT? Could you also briefly explain how this remarkable educational initiative is going to work?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I do not think Mr Cornwell wants me to go right through the "how", because we would be here until well after 3 o'clock. As to funding for the ACT, it is my understanding at this stage that it is substantially a one package affair. Numbers of capital cities in the States are keenly contesting the right to be the centre where this open learning centre is to be, saying that it should be located in one of the capital cities. That is not likely to be Canberra.
I might indicate that I have not made, on behalf of the ACT Government, a claim for that centre, because I recognise the prior claims of some of the States. The University of Queensland, for example, the New England University, and universities in Melbourne have a long and honourable record in open learning, in distance learning. Much as we would like to, I was not about to go ahead and make a claim when I knew that we lacked the substance to back up that claim. It is a different case with the location of the Australian National Training Authority, where we do have, I think, the strongest claim. We have made that bid and are contesting that quite strongly. I do not know yet where the open learning centre will be based. It is a matter that will be coming up for discussion at the next AEC and MOVEET meeting in a week's time. Whether it will be decided there is another matter, as with ANTA. It is going to be discussed. It may not finally be decided, but certainly this will be a key meeting in addressing those issues.
I think I have answered your question about the money. As for how it will work, it will work quite well. You perhaps have seen some component of that if you have been following ABC television's open learning programs. You may have participated in your earlier years, as I did, in distance education. I did my first university degree by way of correspondence, to use a pretty outdated term. I am quite familiar with all the benefits of distance education, at a university level. It can work. It will work. We have the technology today to do it. I think it is a fine approach, a very sensible approach, by the Federal Government. It will be very successful. I think that this advanced approach from the Federal Government is in marked contrast with the mean approach that John Hewson displays towards TAFE education, towards training and towards education generally.
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