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(Extension of time granted) . . Page.. 293 ..

In education, I think there are a number of great challenges. One thing that we are aware of is that we have an increasingly experienced teaching force. Because we have an increasingly experienced teaching force, Mr Speaker, we have an increase in expenditure of over $1m every year. My understanding is that that will go on for basically a decade, until teachers reach the optimum level, at which time the payment of teachers' increments will no longer require an increase in the budget. But there is an increase in spending of over $1m a year. That is simply part of our costs. If we are going to maintain education costs, then that has to be accounted for in terms of the budget situation. That is not to mention any funding matters that deal with new enterprise bargaining and so forth. I think there is a real challenge for a party that has said that it will support funding in real terms for education because, unlike most areas, education is almost entirely about service delivery.

The administration of education has taken cut after cut over the last five or six years. Indeed, those cuts have been appropriate in terms of the administration. But it seems to me from my observations that they run a fairly tight ship at this stage, and I would argue very strongly that not only ought the Education Department not to be cut but service delivery within education ought to receive no further cuts. We have also seen some change in terms of the Children’s and Youth Services Bureau. I believe that congratulations are in order for the establishment of that bureau and bringing it within the education area, under that same Minister. I believe that they are two areas that will work very well together and that many of the problems that we seek to resolve should be resolved in the initial instance. (Extension of time granted) I thank members. I believe, Mr Speaker, that this is actually the first time we have used that new standing order, and much more convenient it is, too.

Mr Berry: Put it on your CV.

MR MOORE: Thank you, Mr Berry. I shall add it to my CV, no doubt. It seems to me that, when we are working with children, we must be looking for preventive measures rather than trying to patch things up when problems occur. I think that structure will make that situation somewhat easier.

On urban management, Mr Speaker, I notice that the Chief Minister said:

We will be looking at a long-term plan for the maintenance and expansion of our $3.4 billion road asset and must, for the first time, register $1.2 billion of stormwater assets.

That is important, because around the ACT there is a growing recognition that our infrastructure is actually going downhill. It seems to me that there are now more broken footpaths and more problems with such things as paths. Last night, I was riding my bicycle back from the university, around the lake. It is a beautiful ride. It is a great joy to use the sort of infrastructure we have around Canberra. But I must say that the bicycle path behind the boathouse and around the university really is in need of repair. I wonder how many other bicycle paths fit into the same category, where tree roots have damaged them. I think perhaps there is some danger, in terms of the calibre of what are very important parts of our infrastructure and very important parts of recognising our environment.

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