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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (29 June) . . Page.. 2363 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Wales system. I am delighted to indicate that the formal process at the CIT has been finalised, with an overwhelming majority of teachers and other staff there voting, accepting, and ratifying the agreement which has now passed through the relevant stages of the Industrial Relations Commission. So I think, if anything, that was a model of how to come up with a sensible EBA, and all sides should be congratulated. I have no trouble putting on the public record my congratulations to the Australian Education Union for the commonsense and the attention they showed.

Mr Berry talked about autism. As the Chief Minister quite rightly said earlier today, there were no autistic units when the Labor Party was in power. When you look at what occurs interstate, this government has done more for autism, and I think more for disabilities, than any other state or territory. We see instances of people who come to the territory because of the service we are providing for disabilities and the education that kids get.

Mr Berry mentioned Yarralumla. I am well aware of two diplomats who have extended their stay because their kids are in that unit. I am also aware of service personnel who have not taken promotion elsewhere but have stayed in Canberra because of the excellence of those systems and the service provided to their children. In fact, there may be a bit of a problem if so many people want to come and live here because of the very good services we have in the disability field. So, really, Mr Berry is off with the fairies there.

I must congratulate Mr Corbell on making an absolute mountain out of a molehill, on creating a storm in a teacup. Mr Corbell has not considered that he also makes mistakes. One mistake that jumps to mind is the indication by him in the estimates report that the territory government gives absolutely nothing to legal and welfare rights. Well, my department in fact gives them $105,000 a year. It has given them a substantial amount of money, certainly since I have been minister. In fact, I think I increased it to that amount not all that long ago. So there is an error he made.

He, of course, took three years to find the error in respect of ovals, which I agree escaped the attention of my chief executive officer, the Chief Minister when she was Treasurer, Mr Humphries as Treasurer, me in terms of perhaps not checking it too, and two or three public servants in my department and probably several in treasury. So it is not mea culpa-it is a case of nostrum culpum. The fact of the matter is that nothing has happened in terms of selling any of those low maintenance ovals for any development. The record speaks for itself. As I said when Mr Corbell asked me a question in question time a couple of days ago, actions speak louder than words.

During the three-year period that the documents contained the words referred to by Mr Corbell-we have now rectified this with the different agreement, which has been tabled-what happened? The 27 ovals which were designated as low maintenance by Labor back in 1993-94 have seen some significant changes. An immense effort was made in 1996. Evatt oval was brought back to full maintenance. One hectare of Macquarie oval, in conjunction with the school, was also brought back. That was the pathfinder for bringing back to a decent standard of maintenance some eight ovals around primary schools so that kids could play on them and play organised sport.

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