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Mrs Carnell: What restructuring? You did not restructure. You did not lose 1,000 jobs, did you?

MS FOLLETT: You asked the question, Mrs Carnell. Just listen and I will give you the answer. To continue:

Where a reduction in positions is involved, the emphasis will be on redeployment. There will be no involuntary redundancies and funding for voluntary redundancies will be made available where needed.

In the budget speech for 1993-94 I said:

The budget includes $17m to fund separation payments to those who accept voluntary separation through the general offer or as a result of restructuring. This is about twice what was actually spent on redundancies in 1992-93.

In the budget speech for 1994-95 I said:

To assist in the implementation of the various efficiency measures, including continuing restructuring initiatives, funding for voluntary redundancies is continued in this budget at the level of $17m.

On every occasion I put it in the budget speech, and, in saying “What Follett Never Told You”, Mrs Carnell is not only ungrammatical but also totally incorrect.

Education - Aboriginal Support Services

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, my question is to Mr Stefaniak in his capacity as Minister for Education. Yesterday we heard the news that the position of Aboriginal education adviser in the central office of the Education Department has been abolished. Minister, did you agree to this move, or is this an example of the decisions that will be left for the department to make?

MR STEFANIAK: In relation to that, Ms McRae, I note that the AEU in its press release made a number of statements, one of which related to Aboriginal studies. Aboriginal studies has not been undermined, as claimed by them, and the seven staff who provided Aboriginal support services to schools last year are still there in the department. I understand that one education officer is going back to a school. I was told that just before I came down here. I do not know which one. My advice from the department is that the seven staff who provide Aboriginal support services to schools are still there in the department and that what the AEU has said is not in fact correct.

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Even the movement of the officer back to the school is a downgrading of the number of officers in the office.

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