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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1047 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

During 1995-96 primary schools will receive around 180 computers acquired from government departments. Although the computers are not new, they will be well received by the students and the teachers. They provide a valuable learning resource for students. The former Follett Government did not see it that way.

Ms McRae: Buy them new ones.

MR HIRD: I hear the squeaky whinings of the person opposite, but there was no activity whatsoever under her Government. Most schools now have easy and inexpensive access to the Internet. We are also contributing to the Commonwealth's development of an Australian education network, commonly known as EdNA, which will provide access to curriculum and course material and a communication medium with other teachers and students around the country. Mr Speaker, all new schools are being cabled for information technology, and the department is exploring options for a rolling program for upgrading cabling in all schools. This Government is doing that. Of course, many schools are acquiring information technology through the efforts of their own communities and sponsorship.

Again, I thank the Public Accounts Committee for the inquiry and the most useful information it revealed. The dilemma of scarce resources being divided up amongst growing needs, Mr Speaker, is one that will always exist. But this Government believes that, in a partnership with school communities and remaining mindful of the precarious financial circumstances that some families suffer, we can resolve this dilemma to our mutual benefit.

MR MOORE (11.15): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to speak again to this report.

Leave granted.

MR MOORE: The reason I am motivated to speak to this issue again, Mr Speaker, is that I took the opportunity to speak to Public Accounts Report No. 11, the report on the voluntary parent contribution scheme, before the Government's response had been submitted. I believe that I waxed eloquent on how well the report had been put together and congratulated the Public Accounts Committee. I believe that their suggestions were very positive ones. Then we had the Government's response. I would say that if I were the Minister I would be embarrassed. This would be the most contemptuous response to any committee report we have had in this Assembly in seven years, without a doubt. It has basically dismissed in one way or another almost all the recommendations. If it has not rejected them outright, it has certainly used verbiage to get around them.

In response to recommendation 1 the Government suggests that they do all sorts of things in their budget. The recommendation was quite specific. It was not answered, so we can interpret that as meaning that the recommendation was not agreed. Recommendation 2 states:

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