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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (28 March) . . Page.. 926 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

never cut school funding. I would not allow it. I would lose confidence in a government that set about it. Mr Berry and other people have been saying that we have cut it and we have been saying, "No, that is not true, just read the budget papers". But we did not leave it there. We said, "Let us get an independent arbiter to look at it. Let us get a very prominent firm, KPMG, to look at it and tell us whether we have misunderstood something. Is there something that we have done where accidentally" - it was certainly not intentional - "we have cut the schools budget?". When people keep telling you that you have done it and when it keeps appearing in the media, particularly the Canberra Times, that you have cut the education budget, you begin to say, "Maybe there is something behind this. Maybe there is a different way of reading it. Maybe there is something we have missed. Maybe we will have to correct the situation".

That is what we were concerned about, so we said, "Okay, let us get somebody separate who understands accrual accounting and who understands the budget process to tell us whether we have done it properly". Their conclusion - this is the only part of it I will deal with; I will let Mr Stefaniak go through the detail - at paragraph 1.3.2 reads:

ACT schooling, in other words -

Thank you very much. They have been maintained at real levels, and that is the reality. For Mr Berry to stand here and put a new spin on it, saying that we have not allowed for teachers' salaries, as though we should treat teachers' salaries as separate from the budget, is just total nonsense. Mr Berry, you know and I know that over 80 per cent - Mr Stefaniak probably will be able to give us the exact figure - of the education budget is teachers' salaries.

Mr Berry: That is right. Did you just wake up?

MR MOORE: You are so difficult to argue with, Mr Berry, because you are totally irrational. The reality is that our claim has been verified by KPMG, which is not exactly a minor firm in terms of these things. They have confirmed that I have kept my promise and this Government and the Liberal Party have kept their promise. They happen to run to the same things. Mr Berry, the reality is that you are wrong, and the Canberra Times, in the way that it has written it up a number of times, is wrong. At least, have the good grace now to say, "Yes, you kept your promise". The reality is that I stand here very comfortable with the fact that in 1993 I set about maintaining, at least in real terms, school funding. What is more, not only has it been maintained in real terms, but also it has been increased significantly.

Mr Berry: Find me a teacher who believes you.

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