Page 3405 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 13 October 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
anybody drawing attention to that matter; but it is, in my view, the very basis of social justice that these children should have available to them the same opportunities as other students have. It is something that Labor has initiated, something that Labor has expanded in this budget and something that I am very proud of. We are also promoting tolerance and justice in our multicultural society through our funding of community language skills.
I understand why this motion is being moved, but I am afraid that anybody who asserts that our approach to the education budget will lead to a reduction in the excellence of education in this Territory is merely posturing. That is how I regard this motion; that is how I will regard the Liberals if they support it.
MR CORNWELL (11.44): Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we will support this motion because we believe in its intent, but we certainly do not agree that it goes far enough. Ms Szuty mentioned that she was pressuring the Government. I suggest that this motion pressures the Government about as much as a blancmange would. Let the Assembly not ignore that this motion is simply a very desperate attempt by Ms Szuty and Mr Moore to salvage some credibility with the Australian Education Union and the P and C council. These two Independents have betrayed that constituency. They are in desperate trouble trying to shore up what is left of support there. I ask you: What is the purpose of moving this motion when we have had evidence recently that when a majority of the Assembly amended legislation - namely, the Boxing Control Bill - the Government ignored it? What do you think, Ms Szuty, they are going to do with a simple motion, if they ignore a piece of legislation that was amended? I suggest to you that they will do exactly nothing. But we will support you, because we can accept that you are as concerned as we are about these savage cuts of 80 teachers.
I was delighted to hear the Chief Minister admit that there are substantial differences in education funding between the States and this Territory. That is hardly surprising, because there are substantial differences in education between the States and this Territory. We have more students in Years 11 and 12, which obviously increases our costs. The larger number of AST teachers obviously increases our costs. For the first time I also heard Ms Follett admit that $25m had to be cut from education over the next four years. I think those are significant advances, so far as she is concerned. They show that she is learning, however slowly.
How do you advance education if you are going to cut 80 teachers? The breakdown of the cuts has been worked out. Ms Szuty gave some figures for the primary schools, the high schools and the colleges. There will be a 37 per cent cut at college level, a 37 per cent cut at high school level and a 26 per cent cut at primary school level. How do you overcome the difficulties that this will create when 11.5 per cent of ACT junior primary classes have over 30 pupils, when the Australian average is 9 per cent? That is another substantial difference, Chief Minister - who is not here to listen to this. Of the senior primary classes, 37 per cent have over 30 pupils, when again the Australian average is 11 per cent. I suggest that that is another significant difference with the States, Chief Minister. Further, we find that 25 per cent of Year 6 students are identified as requiring learning assistance in Year 7 and that only 32 per cent of these students return to mainstream classes in Year 8. So there is obviously another gap there.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .