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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 8 Hansard (28 October) . . Page.. 2334 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

thoughtful look at the needs of preschool services right across the ACT. Neither Downer Preschool nor any other was examined in isolation. Mr Kaine made the point that some preschools have smaller numbers than Downer has. He is correct. It is the all-up seven points in the criteria that will lead to a decision as how they are applied to individual preschools. The criteria take into account not just the numbers for what is considered viable, but past enrolment patterns and the configuration of other preschools in close proximity. They take into account socioeconomic factors and whether or not an early intervention unit is operating on the premises. The Government has looked at Downer Preschool in a considered manner. The Government has not looked at Downer in isolation. It is important that the Government has taken steps to ensure that every family will be individually assisted by the department to ensure that their children obtain a preschool place in a nearby preschool.

Some background information on changes to the demographics of the ACT is useful in placing this and other decisions on the provision of preschool education in context. The population of the ACT increased from 160,000 in 1972 to 309,000 in 1997, with an annual rate of increase of about 3.7 per cent. But the population forecasts for 1998 to 2013 predict a population growth rate of only 0.5 per cent, rising to one per cent in the year 2002.

This declining population growth is reflected in forecasts for preschool enrolments. There are declining numbers of young children, with the ACT population forecast projecting an annual decline of about 1.5 per cent, or a total of 400 students, for the period 1999 to 2005. In the year 2000, in North Canberra, the number of young children aged up to four years is predicted to remain the same as now. At the same time a decline of 50 children in that age group is predicted for Downer. Mr Speaker, I table a graph that shows the predicted preschool enrolments and projections for the period 1995 to 2005.

It flies in the face of any interpretation of responsible financial management to suggest that these sorts of changes should be ignored. Yet, when the Government decides to suspend one preschool, Mr Berry seeks to reverse that decision. If you are going to adopt a head-in-the-sand attitude to these decisions, it is not a responsible approach to managing the changing needs for delivering preschool education in the Territory. Either Mr Berry is intent on denying that changes are happening or he is suggesting that we should do nothing about them.

Mr Speaker, the Government stands by the integrity of the decision on Downer Preschool. It is a responsible decision, providing a realistic response to the current and future needs of preschool education in the ACT. While it is human nature to object to the criteria used in an assessment that has not gone your way, this set of criteria was a fair one. Further, it is a set of criteria that the rest of the preschool community has had applied to it and have accepted. Mr Speaker, there is no good reason to change the decision on Downer.

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