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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (25 October) . . Page.. 1978 ..

MS McRAE (continuing):

What about all the after-school activities? What about the places where the students meet? What about the places where life goes on after school, with productions, with sport, and with other activities? Suddenly, all of that is simply gone; no discussion, no negotiation, end of story. All of this was couched in a lovely letter that says, "We will do this only if the community agrees".

What did the community say last night, and there were 250 of them? They said, "We do not agree". So, thank you very much. We are back to our school with insufficient staffing, with insufficient resources to run a proper program, with insufficient time to run a new program, with insufficient time to consider our options, and this Government refuses to face the reality of what that means. Do you think Charnwood High School does not know what has happened at Narrabundah Primary School or Stirling College? Of course they do. They told us. They know that other schools are favoured. They know that other schools are concerned about it. What is so wrong with Charnwood High? This community felt doubly disadvantaged. This community said, "We are sick to death of Charnwood being treated as the end of the world. We are proud of Charnwood. We like our high school. We do not want our children to be sent elsewhere. We do not want our children in the bus interchange. We do not want our children on the streets. We want our children in our school, in our place, in our space, in our community, and we are proud of it".

The fact that other parents have chosen to go is neither here nor there. I hear a lot of nonsense such as, "If the school was so good, parents would have stayed there". That, in my mind, is just a superfluous and ridiculous argument. The students who are there are the students who matter, and the community concern that is there is what matters. The Government says, "We will close it only with the community agreeing". The Government was not even at the first public meeting to which we were all invited. For the Government to say that this is a fabrication of my fervid political imagination is just hypocrisy and nonsense beyond belief. The parents understood fully what the consequences were. The parents were very concerned. Even after last night they are probably still thinking about the unnecessary and unpleasant option of having to transfer their kids; but they do not want to. They feel that they are being rushed into a decision that they do not want to make.

They were given four options, three of which were non-viable, and one of which was not an option at all; bye-bye, goodbye, close Charnwood High School. What they were angriest about was that they were being forced into the position of being told, "You make the decision". One of the parents said loudly and clearly, "Why do we have to do this; so that this Government can look good and hide?". They said, "Why does the Government not just come straight out - - -"

Mrs Carnell: What did you do with Griffith Primary?

MS McRAE: Yes, of course you are going to bleat about that. You should have come and faced 250 parents, Mrs Carnell. There were 30 parents involved in Griffith Primary, and I knew that you would begin with that nonsense. Fine. We are going to hear a lot from this Government. As usual, we are going to get history lessons. We are going to get revisionist editions. We are going to get variations. They are going to twist and squirm. They are going to call us every name under the sun. But what are we

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