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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2816 ..

Mr Berry: Unless they escape.

MR HUMPHRIES: That is right. They do not escape the consequences of their actions, Mr Speaker, and that is an appropriate position. I commend the bill to the house.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education) (8.53): Mr Speaker, I rise tonight in the adjournment debate to congratulate the University of Canberra on its 30th anniversary. This university was established in 1970. It was established as a college of advanced education, and after the Dawkins reforms in the late 1980s-I suppose we could call them reforms-it became a university. It was established to provide for gaps which the ANU did not provide for, and that is practical education specifically for jobs rather than a general academic education. It did a marvellous job of that as the Canberra College of Advanced Education.

In its 30 years it has produced some 40,000 graduates. It has a student population of around 9,000 at present. It is probably getting a bit closer to 10,000, 10 per cent of whom come from overseas. There are some 80 different nationalities who study at the University of Canberra. It is a well renowned university and has a great name, not only locally but also in the region, nationally and overseas. It runs teaching training programs and offshore programs from the university in a wide range of countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, China and several other places in our region.

It has done a lot in its 30 years. Many people have graduated from the place. In fact, I think there are a couple of members in this Assembly who are graduates of the University of Canberra. Mr Moore raises his arms almost in triumph. I think he got a degree there. I think Mr Corbell and Mr Quinlan are also graduates of the university.

I wish, Mr Speaker, that I could claim to be a graduate of the university. I suppose I can claim to be a foundation member in that when I was in Year 12 at Narrabundah High School in 1969 I helped build the foundations while on a holiday labouring job. So, whilst never having been a student there, I have been there on a number of occasions. I have played against their sporting teams. I can certainly attest to the great esprit de

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