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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (18 February) . . Page.. 36 ..

MS McRAE: My question without notice is to Mrs Carnell in her capacity as Chief Minister. Chief Minister, are you aware that at a recent meeting of executive officers of Urban Services your chief executive, Mr John Walker, said that the ACT Government was, in all practical terms, a presidency, with a vice-president? Do you agree with Mr Walker's assessment and have you advised your other deputies - I understand it is Mr Humphries who has the honour this week - that Mr Walker is really second in charge?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I have to say that I was not at the meeting.

MS TUCKER: My question, Mr Speaker, is for Mr Stefaniak as Minister for Education and Training. I preface it by saying that I am aware that there is legal action pending in the courts related to the School Without Walls. My question does not relate to those matters being considered by the court but relates to the ongoing welfare of the students. Can the Minister explain why there has been no direct correspondence from the department to continuing students at the School Without Walls regarding the status of the school last year and this year? Does the Minister believe that media reports are sufficient as a vehicle for information to students and their parents receiving the educational services of this Government? Can the Minister also explain why a mediation process, using two school counsellors, was started but then discontinued?

MR STEFANIAK: In relation to the last part of the question, I am not quite sure on that, Ms Tucker, but I could hazard a guess and I will say a little more about that in a minute. In relation to correspondence with students and families, that went right back to last year, when the department first looked into the relocation issue, went to the school on a number of occasions, spoke to a number of students, and made phone contact with a number of parents. In relation to the matter since then, there has been considerable contact, shall we say, of various people from the department with Friends of the School Without Walls, with students themselves, including senior departmental staff and a number of teachers, and I will say a little more in relation to that too, Ms Tucker. When you say that there has not been any direct correspondence, any direct contact, I think you are quite wrong there. There has been considerable contact, considerable correspondence between various parties, and, as you correctly say, the matter is before the court.

Mr Speaker, I am pleased to be able to report to this Assembly that the Government has been successful in getting a little bit of commonsense into the situation. We have secured a variation to the Supreme Court injunction halting the relocation of the SWOW program to Dickson College, and that variation allows us to commence an alternative education program commencing tomorrow at Dickson College. Two teachers experienced in alternative ways of learning will be operating that program, which will then enable students to plan their individual learning programs jointly with their teachers.

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