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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 299 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

a few employers who see isolated examples of kids with difficulties in numeracy and literacy, overall we are improving. To give another isolated example, we have to think back only to our schooling. As a student in Year 7, I was in classes of about 50. I remember a student who was 15 and was in Year 7 because she had failed again and again. That was how it was dealt with in those days.

There are some real issues of productivity bargaining as far as students go, and there are exactly the same issues in health in terms of productivity and outcome. Indeed, I have just spent three-quarters of an hour or more discussing with nurses the same issue in terms of nurses. The issue that was raised is exactly the same. How are you going to increase productivity in terms of improving patient care? Sometimes when you withdraw the money, just the opposite happens.

The truth is, as I mentioned in terms of education, that Mr Osborne indicated that he wished to amend the budget in terms of health, for the specific reason of improving the outcome for nurses. I had indicated that I would be supporting that amendment to the budget, which was resisted by Labor. I say again, as I said in this house the other day, that when Labor agrees that it will amend the budget in that area Mr Osborne and I are prepared to bring that budget back here. Instead of just furthering your objective to get back into government - - -

MR SPEAKER: Relevance, Mr Moore!

MR MOORE: That is relevant, Mr Speaker. Education and health are real issues that we are prepared to deal with. We are prepared to bring the budget back on and amend it in terms of education and health the day that you agree to do it.

There is another issue that I would like to raise. In Mr Stefaniak's speech in May last year he said:

I am pleased to announce that this Government is currently negotiating to introduce a scheme that will allow schools to obtain ex-government computers at greatly reduced cost. These machines will be no more than two to three years old. I hope that we can have these arrangements in place within a month or so.

I know that in my children's schools those computers are not there, 10 months later. I would ask Mr Stefaniak to tell us whether those arrangements ever came off. (Extension of time granted) It seems to me that there should be an explanation about where those computers have gone, how many have gone into schools and whether that really has been successful at all.

In conclusion, I think the main issue that this Minister has to deal with, and it is the main issue that I suggested to the previous Minister that he had to deal with, is morale. You are not going to improve morale by constantly whittling away at conditions, and you are not going to improve morale by constantly whittling away at teachers' salaries.

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