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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 859 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

It would have been better if the Government could have stood up and allayed some of the concerns that it has generated by its handling of this matter. It is not prepared to say that it will consult with the people of Canberra about the very important issue of whether or not preschools in Canberra will close. It would have allayed some of the concerns of the parents of Canberra if some members of the Government could have stood up and articulated their concern for education with a little bit more interest and a little bit more meaning and sincerity than we have seen to date from the other side.

A simple matter is being proposed; namely, that this Government promise that it will do nothing until a committee of this place conducts an inquiry into preschools. That is a very simple undertaking to make and it is something the Government should embrace without the equivocation and obfuscation that we have seen. Just give the simple undertaking to support this motion and not pre-empt the committee's inquiry. Actually express some positive support for the committees of this place; say that it is only appropriate that the Education Committee conduct an inquiry into a viable part of our education system. Express some support for the committee system that has been so severely curtailed, I think, by the restructuring because we do not have a public accounts committee anymore. We do not have a clearly defined committee to which to refer reports of the Auditor-General.

I think this community has very real reason to be concerned about this Government's commitment to consultation. I think that underlies some of the concern that the parents of Canberra have. I noticed that recently we had a new consultation protocol, but I do not think the residents of Belconnen, in particular, can have any faith in this Government's commitment to consultation in relation to the fiasco that we have seen over the Belconnen pool. The fact is that this Government breached its major spending promise to the people of Belconnen without any consultation with the people of Belconnen. It went through a charade of an inquiry, without - - -

Mr Smyth: It has not been breached. There is money in the budget for the next step.

MR STANHOPE: There is money in the budget for the pool? That is a ridiculous thing to say. Where is the $15m that was promised for the pool? Is that in the budget? A $200,000 diversion for putting it off is all we have in the budget on the pool.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Relevance, Mr Stanhope.

MR STANHOPE: This is relevant to the question of consultation. That is why we must support committees such as this - because of the opportunity that it provides for genuine consultation. We are talking about consultation. We are talking about this Government's lack of commitment to consultation with the people of Canberra. That can be starkly illustrated through its complete disinclination to consult on the Belconnen pool. It would trash a major election promise without reference to anybody.

Mr Hird: We have not trashed it.

MR STANHOPE: You have trashed it, Mr Hird, and you should hang your head in shame over the Belconnen pool.

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