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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 5124 ..

I move now, Mr Speaker, to another aspect of college management that the Auditor General, the Public Accounts Committee, and the Government believe to be critical to an efficient and effective secondary college sector.

I am talking about strategies for managing changing enrolment patterns. For, Mr Speaker, enrolment patterns do shift and change over time, as we all know. And the population profile of the ACT is not static.

We must therefore consider the most effective and efficient way to respond to these changes, while maintaining a high quality secondary college service for the students of the ACT.

The twinning of Stirling and Phillip Colleges from 1997, demonstrates both the Government's willingness to assist school communities to address shifting enrolments, and our conviction that this issue is one which is essential to efficient and effective college management.

The Advisory Council has been consulting with the community on this issue as a matter of priority. The Council has canvassed the ACT community for its views, by telephone survey and by submission. Their Report is in the final stages of preparation.

However Mr Speaker, the reality that has emerged from these consultations is that there are strongly conflicting views in the

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