Page 3404 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 13 October 1993
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Members opposite may believe that a report from the Auditor-General can simply be shelved or hidden away and ignored, but I do not believe that. I think it is a very careful and very thoughtful piece of work that has to be taken seriously. The strategies that are implemented this year will be linked to educational developments at the national level and will focus on improving the educational standards and vocational educational and training needs of this Territory.
In previous years substantial savings have been made in central office costs, as I have said, and such savings are again required this year. As school based costs represent a very large part of the education budget, it is simply not feasible to avoid altogether the need for greater efficiency in the use of school based resources. As I said, I draw members' attention again to that Auditor-General's report, but it is only one of a number of such reports which identify the scope for some savings in this area. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Government is definitely not about cutting the quality of educational services to students. What is required is a planned approach to educational services in the future, but we must ensure that that is within the Territory's financial constraints.
I recognise that Ms Szuty and Mr Moore find themselves in a bit of a bind here in that they have given guarantees on the Government's budget and at the same time they have got themselves into some political hot water in their comments on the education budget. So we must regard the motion today as making very clear their views, and fair enough too; but it is a political response to a political issue that we have before us. On the overall issue of the budget, I heard Mr Moore say this morning that the Government should wear the flak for this decision, as for other decisions. He is quite right about that. It is the Government's budget, and I take full responsibility for it. I understand in many ways where Mr Moore and Ms Szuty are coming from; but if the Liberals support this motion, as I strongly suspect they will, I would regard that as entirely opportunistic and an extremely cynical move. This is the party which sought to cut a massive swathe through this community's education services. Apart from denying children in many parts of Canberra access to a neighbourhood school, their decision to close 25 schools must have had the effect of reducing teaching numbers. How could it not? It is hypocritical in the extreme to say the opposite.
As I have said, the Government has to make decisions, and they are sometimes very difficult decisions. In this case it was a difficult decision, a decision which we explored thoroughly and which, I would say quite honestly to you, we agonised over; but it is a decision that we have made in the light of all the best information available to us. This decision is not at variance with Labor's commitment to education and to excellence in our public education system. Even in this year's very difficult budget we have continued to build on the provision of a better and better government school system. I again refer members to our decisions in this budget to open the Conder Primary School and Pre-School and to start schools at Gungahlin. Of course the Liberals would never have done that. We heard Mr Cornwell say that he does not believe that we should be building schools in southern Tuggeranong, that children there do not deserve the same standard of service as children in other areas.
Also in this budget we have funded the implementation of the national learning profiles, and that is in order to obtain a consistent measurement of students' achievement. That is a progressive move aimed at ensuring that children get the very best from our government schooling system. We have also expanded the integration of students with special needs into mainstream schools. I did not hear
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