Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (25 October) . . Page.. 1997 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

I know that the Opposition went through this exercise with the closure of Griffith Primary School. The Griffith Primary School was an example of the problems faced by the education authority in the Territory. The bottom line is that we have to make sure that our students, no matter where they are, have the best education and the best facilities that money can buy. But it is not a matter of putting up extra money. For instance, another option could be that we could take a teacher from five of the high schools - any five; you pick them - and put them out there, but that would be at the expense of the students in those five high schools. We could do many things.

We certainly do not need Ms McRae coming in and saying to us that children are having nightmares through having to go through the interchange when there is no need to go through it. There are ways around that.

Ms McRae: Yes, in the family car which they do not have.

MR HIRD: You just saw the opportunity for a political stunt. You decided to jump on the bus, so to speak, and pull a political stunt. You have not allowed the committee to advise the Minister. The Minister has done everything properly.

Mr Berry: The committee called the public meeting, Harold. You could have gone.

MR HIRD: Why should he not do everything properly? He is as concerned as we all are about the education of our youth. Do not try to flim-flam, Mr Berry. This is a political stunt that you are pulling.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (11.51): Mr Speaker, I thought I might start by quoting a little bit of Hansard because we need to calm this debate down a bit. I am sure that everyone will be very interested in this quote. The speaker, Mr Wood, was referring to you, Mr Cornwell. Mr Wood said this:

The fact of the matter is, as he well knows, that the school effectively closed itself. Regrettably, the community left the school. It came down to a small number of students and you cannot, Mr Cornwell, ascribe three teachers and a deputy to the staffing 34 because the situation was in very considerable downward movement and that staff was about to be taken elsewhere.

He then went on to say:

It was about to be staffed, as the school well knew, in terms of whatever the number of students would generate.

I will quote that last sentence again:

It was about to be staffed, as the school well knew, in terms of whatever the number of students would generate.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .