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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 311 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Mr Speaker, a number of other points were raised. Mr Moore, a person respected in education circles because of his involvement as a teacher, made a number of comments. He raised a point in relation to computers. Yes, this Government is very keen to do whatever we can to help to get ex-government computers into our schooling system. As Minister, I am very keen every time I go to MCEETYA to push the need for the Commonwealth to play its part and for the Commonwealth to supply computers and computer programs. This is as important in ACT schools as it is in any other school in this nation. That is certainly one area where the Commonwealth can play a much larger role than it is. Despite the fact that the Commonwealth certainly is not coming to the party on all things we would like it to come to the party on, we are progressing. Mr Moore, for your information, I am told that 180 computers of the 386 type are going into our primary schools this week. (Extension of time granted) I will do all I can as Minister, and the department will do all it can, to ensure that we get good fairly recent computers from Public Service sources and elsewhere to put into our schools. Information technology is terribly important.

Mr Speaker, this Government, unlike the previous Government, is progressing literacy and numeracy and I expect to make a major announcement soon. Again, I was amazed to hear some of the comments made by Ms McRae, which I think were totally contradictory. Mr Moore raised a couple of other points which I should address. I have addressed his points on computers and literacy.

Mr Moore: What about productivity coming out of literacy and numeracy?

MR STEFANIAK: That is an interesting one, Mr Moore, which certainly I and the department will also look at. As I say, you have raised some interesting points. You usually do. Ms Tucker raised a number of points.

I come back to the bans and the effect they are having on our education system. Those bans are preventing students from doing work experience. They are preventing some of the vocational training courses. It is quite sad to see the effect they are having on kids who want to participate in interschool sport and sport at a national level. They are affecting camps; they are affecting rock eisteddfods. Surely, if a union takes industrial action and purports to have the welfare of its students at heart, it should be able to think of some way of taking industrial action other than by imposing bans that only hurt students. What concerns me, Mr Speaker, is some misinformation coming home from some schools indicating that the Government imposed the bans. What rot! Quite clearly, the union imposed the bans. It is certainly good to see at least the president of the union, Mr Haggar, acknowledging that fact and making the point that some people under him, it seems, are misrepresenting that. I think that is a very sad development, despite the natural emotion that occurs in any industrial relations matter when tempers get hot.

Mr Speaker, in very difficult financial times this Government is making substantial strides in education. I will mention one other area, an area affected by union bans. That is vocational training and education. Some very good pilot projects have started in the schools. I launched several last year. They include such things as students getting some experience in the workplace and getting some experience in relevant courses in schools - things which the Opposition's Federal counterparts, Simon Crean and Ross Free,

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