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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2230 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

such an extent that it leaves the government school sector behind, then we will see an increasing move of students into the private school sector, as parents say, "No; I have to do the best thing by my child". Who could blame them? Of course, parents are always going to do the best thing for their child, if they can. The outcome will be that there will be more and more marginalisation within the government school sector. That is the philosophy behind the search, as far as I am concerned, to ensure that our government schooling stays as good as it is, stays equivalent in standard to the private school sector, which I consider it is now, and does not wind up dropping backwards.

There is a new challenge for governments to ensure that they maintain the quality of education at least equivalent to, if not better than, the private schools. My observation of some of the private schools in Canberra, and parents of children who have been in private schools, is that there are some reasons, as far as I am concerned, why our government school sector actually does much better than the private school sector. But this is under threat by the Howard Liberal Government. It is under threat as there is an attempt to change the balance between government and non-government education. I have no trouble about the choice that people make. Often that choice is made, for example, on religious grounds. I have no objection to that, provided that every student has a chance to have an education that is equivalent to that of any other student. As far as I am concerned, that is the critical factor in social justice terms. Over the next few budgets we may well have to look at increasing education funding in order to maintain that balance. I think that is the most fundamental thing in this part of the budget. Whilst there are a series of other details that have been dealt with in other parts of the budget, I think that is the important message that needs to come through as far as this line of the budget goes.

MS McRAE (5.27): I would like to reinforce what Mr Moore is saying. We are at a point of transition in government education, with a new attack from the Federal Government which has a quite clear intent to let the market rip and let private schools operate almost willy-nilly. To give the Minister credit, the paper has now come out and he has acted with some speed to ensure that the ACT does not suffer from that policy. But, as Mr Moore pointed out, it can suffer in a whole range of different ways and, by default, through funding, present choices which are more attractive.

I pick up Mr Moore's point and move on to the points I want to make. For me, the big disappointment with this budget is, I suppose, more in the papers than in the actuality. I can hardly complain about a budget that maintains funding in real terms, particularly in such a huge budget area. Education is fast becoming the most expensive single item of government expenditure. Therefore, it will take quite some effort for government to maintain the expenditure. That sets up a challenge now for any government. It is not one that I would in any way put down or try to denigrate, because it is of such importance to the ACT.

The real concern is with the nature of the papers that we are given with the budget. It goes back to the theme that I have pursued in a couple of other areas. With regard to these papers - and I have said it in my press release about this budget - you read them and you almost say, "Look; no hands"; it is as if the whole thing is going of its own momentum, without any policy direction or any reflection of government activity in the

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