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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 1 Hansard (15 February) . . Page.. 18 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

equipment that had been designed and constructed by parents some time ago, probably 10 or 15 years ago. It is out of date and unsafe and should be ripped out and replaced with better equipment. That needs to be treated as a priority. I cannot believe that in this day and age somebody within the Minister's department does not know about that. It is just incredible that we should have those sorts of circumstances.

We had at Koomarri the issue of access to a toilet by disabled students. That came up in evidence. How is it that in this day and age we have to deal with access to toilets for students with disabilities? Surely that is a fundamental matter.

I found those aspects quite appalling and in need of very urgent attention. I said earlier that I think that people have taken their eye off the ball, that they have been more interested in the financial aspects of the provision of services than in the quality of the services being provided. There is certainly a need for much more work in relation to the provision of services of a suitable quality for students with disabilities.

I look forward to the Government's response to this report, which is couched in moderate terms. It is couched in such a way as to encourage the Government to come up with some positive outcomes. But let there be no mistake about it: This report ought to be viewed as a jolt to the Government over the quality and level of services provided to students with disabilities. It is not up to committees of this place to provide all of the management and structural changes which need to be put in place to deliver on this issue. We merely provide the catalyst in the form of these recommendations for departmental and government action.

There is no question that it is going to cost more. Do not let me hear the Government bleating about the money spent on these services in the ACT being more than what happens, on average, in the States and, therefore, we cannot do anything about it. Our obligation in this place is to provide quality services for students with disabilities. Parents and students deserve a fairer go than they are getting in the ACT. I would recommend most strongly that the Government give this report and its recommendations a high priority in its consideration of the provision of services in the ACT. Let us forget this fascination with benchmark funding. If we continue down that path, we will be just going backwards. We will be dragged down to the lowest levels which exist in the States. I for one will not tolerate that.

MR HIRD (11.48): Mr Speaker, I join my colleagues on the Standing Committee on Education, Community Services and Recreation in speaking to this report. I, too, believe that governments - not just this Government - going back prior to self-government have taken their eye off this problem and have not given enough attention to it or directed enough resources to this area. The 72 submissions given to the committee in its deliberations identified that loud and clear.

I do not think that it does any good just to say that the current Government has caused the problem. In essence, I believe that a succession of governments have taken their eye off the ball, as I said earlier. That is what happened yesterday, Mr Speaker. Tomorrow, as I understand it, the Government will take this matter very seriously. My understanding is that there is a problem in this area throughout Australia. Anyone in this room who doubts that needs only to look at what the other jurisdictions are doing. To my mind, only one of

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