Page 1331 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 April 1994
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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON
THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO
REPORT NO 4 OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE
ON SOCIAL POLICY
INQUIRY INTO THE COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL
USE OF SCHOOLS
MADAM SPEAKER
I HAVE PLEASURE IN TABLING THE GOVERNMENTS RESPONSE TO THE SOCIAL POLICY COMMITTEES REPORT NO 4 ON ITS INQUIRY INTO THE COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL USE OF SCHOOLS.
THE REPORT WAS TABLED IN THE ASSEMBLY IN DECEMBER 1993 AND CONTAINS FIFTEEN RECOMMENDATIONS COVERING ALL ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITYS USE OF SCHOOLS. ELEVEN RECOMMENDATIONS DEAL WITH THE CASUAL, AFTER HOURS USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES, THREE DEAL WITH LONGER TERM LEASING OF SURPLUS SCHOOL SPACE AND ONE DEALS WITH THE PLANNING AND COORDINATION OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES GENERALLY.
THE INQUIRY IS A MOST THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. I NOTE THAT IT RECEIVED SOME 47 SUBMISSIONS AND HELD PUBLIC HEARINGS AT WHICH 12 ORGANISATIONS WERE REPRESENTED.
I THANK THE COMMITTEE FOR ITS EFFORTS AND THE COMPREHENSIVE RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH IT HAS MADE.
A KEY THRUST OF THE COMMITTEES REPORT IS THAT THERE SHOULD BE INCREASED ACCESS TO SCHOOL FACILITIES BY THE GENERAL COMMUNITY. I AGREE ENTIRELY - -SCHOOLS REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE SHOULD MAKE THE BEST USE OF IT WILE. ALSO PRESERVING OUR LONGER TERM OPTIONS FOR THE USE OF THE FACILITIES, FOR EXAMPLE ONCE THEY ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED AS SCHOOLS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, AS THE COMMITTEE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED, WE MUST RECOGNISE THE NEEDS AND RIGHTS OF SCHOOLS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. THEY MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT - OF BOTH DOLLARS AND EFFORT - IN THEIR SCHOOLS.
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