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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (11 May) . . Page.. 1496 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Teachers have been arguing for a reasonable pay rise for quite a long time. They do not seem to be making any headway because the government insists that they take their pay rise out of education, and that means, in effect, a cut in services from other areas to fund the pay rise. What a joke. With that sort of background, how could the minister stand up and use all those honeyed words in respect of his staff?

I do not have the report in front of me, but I recall that it points out that consultation between various groups within the school system is a point of tension. There is no doubt that this needs to be improved if tension is to be removed. The report makes the fundamental point that the commitment of teachers is the only reason for the position the school system is in. If the teachers did not have a commitment to the public education system, then it would not be of its present standard. That does not mean to say that there is not plenty of room to criticise this government's performance on education, and there is plenty of room to inform the government on how we can make it better.

Other states are moving more quickly than we are in many areas, and that ought to be a lesson for this city state which ought to be able to manage its education system in a way which is more satisfying to those in the community who use it.

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, one of the things that conservative governments have demonstrated to us in the period of time that they have been in office in the ACT and federally is that they do not see the public education system as it has been set up. I do.

The public education system has got to set the standard for the others to beat, and while ever we have an attitude from the federal and territory governments which seems to be more favourable towards the private system, rather than improving the outcomes from the public system as a trendsetter, it is hard to imagine how the minister then uttered-words of support the minister then uttered about the public education system have got much credibility and substance.

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, this report will be useful because it points to further failings of the government, but on the other side, it does point to a strong commitment from the community and teachers to our public education system, and from a political party which is committed to education as one of the fundamental pillars of a progressive society, Labor will be working to ensure that the conservatives opposite do no further damage to our system.

The following papers were presented by Mr Moore:

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