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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 301 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

We will not - in fact, we cannot - continue to pay salary increases without trade-offs in productivity; nor will we continue to operate programs such as evening college courses in an inefficient manner. We will not ask the ACT community, our community, to bear the unreasonable cost of such programs, when viable alternatives can be offered to our students.

The Government is absolutely committed to enhancing the quality and the accountability of the Territory's education system. We will continue to do this in a fiscally responsible way. Our already substantial achievements in this endeavour will continue, and the result will benefit the users of the system, the young people of this great Territory, into the twenty-first century.

It is interesting that we were elected by the people of this Territory only 12 months ago. In those 12 months, we have put money back into the coffers. When we took over on 13 March, there was nothing there. The Labor Party was bankrupting this Territory, as you had done in Victoria. It took a Liberal government to get you out of that. You did that in South Australia, and it has taken a Liberal government to get you out of that. After 2 March, we will have to take up the challenge federally to try to restore our balance of payments position and clear up the other mess that you got us into in the last 13 years. The people should not be fooled.

It was only 12 months ago that the election was held. Well may you smile over on that side of the chamber. You had five years, and you did nothing; five years, and the educational system was in turmoil. You tried to buy your way back by giving increases. Well may you hang your heads in shame. You should. You gave a little package, a nice little present, to the teachers union. You thought you would get back in, by giving huge increases without productivity. You did that when you were in government. You had five years, and what happened? We, the people, the residents of this Territory, have had to pick up the tab, the same as the residents of South Australia had to cope with the bankruptcy that was brought on them.

MR SPEAKER: Relevance, Mr Hird!

MR HIRD: The same thing happened in Victoria.

MS TUCKER (11.20): After listening to this debate this morning, for the sake of time I will not repeat some of the concerns that Ms McRae and Mr Moore expressed, but I share their concerns. There is something fundamental about education. It may seem an obvious statement, but we have to see education as an investment. It is a classic example of long-term costs and benefits. Since I have been in this place, I have to say, I have been pretty surprised at some of the initiatives that have come from the Liberal Government. First of all, we had the sport initiative, which was interesting, to say the least, because although it was clear in its vision it was not particularly sympathetic or in line with the views of most of the people who work in the area of educating children, particularly those who work in the area of sport.

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