Page 4190 - Week 13 - Thursday, 25 November 1993
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Mr Cornwell: I said "1.47 per cent".
MR WOOD: Per cent?
Mr Cornwell: Yes. That was the percentage that the voluntary contributions represented of the education budget.
MR WOOD: It does not go into the budget, Mr Cornwell. What Mr Cornwell is saying is that parents have to start paying, deliberately and consciously - - -
Mr De Domenico: He did not say that at all.
MR WOOD: That was the message that Ms Szuty and I clearly got. You want the parents to pay more for education. That is what you want. You have a little bit of a note in this nonsense of an Appropriation Bill about teaching hours.
Mr Moore: It is your Bill.
MR WOOD: In the amendment. Did you not hear?
Mr De Domenico: No, you said "Appropriation Bill".
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MR WOOD: Mrs Carnell gave only one paragraph to education in her speech on the budget. It is not high on her priority list either, any more than on yours, Mr Moore. In that speech she said:
... the Government should address the cost of non-teaching staff and look at ways of fairly increasing the face to face teaching hours for our current staff.
To the extent that this amendment can be interpreted in any way, and that is pretty difficult, she wants us to maintain teaching hours and she wants us to reduce money. So, as well as getting the parents to pay for their education, Mrs Carnell is clearly telling the Government - and she is getting the support of the Independents - to increase the face-to-face teaching time of teachers. You will be supporting an increase in the face-to-face teaching time of teachers, and I happen to think that is very valuable time. So there you are. I do not think it is very responsible of you to support that sort of proposal.
Mr Moore: That is exactly what you are doing, and you say that we are not responsible.
MR WOOD: No, I have never gone down that path. So, there is the Liberal agenda - close schools; more face-to-face teaching time; parents to pay up; parents putting their money into the mainstream budget. That seems to be what Mr Cornwell is saying to me - that parents are to pay. That is what it is about. That is what the Independents will be supporting. That is the measure of the responsibility of the Independents.
Maybe Mr Moore will get up and repudiate some of his other priorities. Mr Moore has gone on the record - correct me if I am wrong - and said, "Backbench members need more travel; we need access to international travel". That is where Mr Moore wants to put money.
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