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Over the next three years the government school system will expand to cater for the growth of new areas in Canberra. A new primary school is to open in Nicholls next year, with another primary school in Ngunnawal and Nicholls High School due to open in 1997 and 1998 respectively. The new Lanyon High School will open in 1996. The challenge will be for our education strategy to accommodate these changes in resource demands. It is a challenge that I believe the department is well equipped to meet.

Funding for non-government schools will also increase by $2.5m over the 1994-95 outcome. As well, a funding cut of one per cent applied in the 1993-94 budget has been reversed, fulfilling another election commitment. Additional student places for high-demand courses in tourism and hospitality, management and computing studies will be made available through the Canberra Institute of Technology. There is also a welcome increase in Commonwealth funding that will result in a massive boost in vocational training places under the auspices of the Australian National Training Authority.

For the first time in the ACT, a complex range of services for our children and youth have been brought together under one organisation. In line with the recommendations of the Assembly’s Social Policy Committee, the Children's, Family and Youth Services Bureau was established by this Government. In response to community and union concerns about a lack of resourcing for child protection workers and increases in demand for services, additional funds have been made available to assist with caseloads. Outlays will increase as part of our commitment to maintain services at current levels for child protection workers and substitute care places, while preparations for the introduction of mandatory reporting will continue with funding for staff training.

The high cost of public transport has not escaped the notice of this Government. As I noted earlier, the subsidy to ACTION will be reduced by $12m over the next three years. There will be a $6m reduction in this year alone, which is a clear signal of the ability of this Government and ACTION staff to work together to improve the efficiency and customer focus of our bus system. Reducing ACTION’s reliance on government subsidies will place our bus service on a more commercial footing. ACTION will operate on a fully commercial basis from 1 July 1996 to deliver better services to Canberrans at the best possible price. It is increased competitiveness that is one of the key messages of this three-year budget plan - the message that Canberra is open for business.

Two elements underpin the Government's strategy: Our determination to develop a partnership between the public sector, business and the community that is fundamental to sustained economic development, and our role in setting the broad economic direction and providing a competitive environment by aiding, rather than hindering, business growth. In line with our election promise, this year we have injected significant new funds into developing and marketing the Territory's tourism and business potential. We have established a new agency called CanTrade with a budget of $1m to undertake more aggressive marketing of the Canberra region. It will bid for events that have significant business, cultural, sporting and tourism benefits. The University and Masters Games are examples of such events. Significant investment will also be made in

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