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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2707 ..

MR SPEAKER: Are we finished?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, just to finish: Because Mr Berry did indicate that I had misled the house, I believe that that requires an answer. Mr Speaker, I did not mislead the house. The figures that I tabled yesterday very clearly were preliminary figures only. There were quite a number of areas that had zero activity, not just the birthing centre. If Mr Berry had bothered to look, he would have seen that there were other areas in which, obviously, some activity would have occurred over the month. That was the reason why they were preliminary figures. In another part of the report, which really shows categorically that I was not misleading the house, it said that non-inpatient figures were incomplete. "Incomplete" is very definite, Mr Speaker. No matter how Mr Berry looks at it, the fact is that his media release that said that the birthing centre had closed did scare people.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, I take a point of order.

MR SPEAKER: This is becoming extremely tiresome. I think Mr Stefaniak was the first to his feet.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Secondary Colleges - Appointment of Chaplains

MR STEFANIAK: In question time I took two questions on notice. Firstly, Ms McRae asked a question about chaplains in colleges. Ms McRae, the answer to your question is that there is no policy as such. Lake Tuggeranong is the only college or school, I am told, with such a position. It is not a paid position and the chaplain is not a member of staff. Religious instruction of a non-denominational kind can be offered in schools if the school community wants it. School boards canvass their communities to see what they want. The chaplain at Lake Tuggeranong College is paid for by the Scripture Union and the churches in the valley, I am advised.

Ms McRae: Could a member of staff be one? That is the element of policy that I am interested in.

MR STEFANIAK: The chaplain there is not a member of staff.

Ms McRae: No, no; could they be? That was the element of the question.

MR STEFANIAK: Right; I will have to find out.

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