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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 4 Hansard (28 March) . . Page.. 1025 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

The question of bad publicity for the school is also an issue which needs to be addressed. The other day I was discussing with the school how they are going in attracting students from overseas. I think it was the dean of the school who mentioned that he been overseas touting for business and had discovered that, when he went to some education institutions to see about a cross-flow of students from those institutions, people were pulling out of their folders clippings from the Canberra Times with criticisms of the school, some of them quite unfair criticisms. So it is not easy to provide for a rehabilitation of the school's position when we have that kind of press.

It is time for us to bury the past of the school and focus on its future. I will be trying to be as positive as I can about the school in the future, but we all need to consider that if we want to see that stronger future for the school we are going to have to take an approach here which is supportive of the work it is trying to do.

MR OSBORNE: I am happy to talk about the future. I will quote from the Auditor-General about the future:

That is what he thinks about the future. I hope he is wrong. My supplementary question, which I assume you will take on notice, is this: could you provide me with the ratio of overseas students to local students?

MR SPEAKER: No preamble, Mr Osborne. Please ask the supplementary question.

MR OSBORNE: I did. You interrupted me.

MR HUMPHRIES: The ratio of overseas students to local students is very high. It is at least 75 to 80 per cent overseas students, but I will get an exact figure for Mr Osborne and let him know about that.

You pointed out that there was a not very good prognosis from the Auditor-General. I do not share that pessimism. I think it is possible to turn around the school's fortunes, and that is the government's job.

Crime statistics

MR HARGREAVES: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Minister, according to the Administration of Justice-Statistical Profile that was tabled yesterday, so let us not hear anything about figures being out of date, the ACT clear-up rate is less than desirable. For the December quarter 689 vehicle thefts were reported, about seven a day, but only 69 reports were cleared up. That is only 10 per cent. There were 1,356 home burglaries and only 68 cleared up-5 per cent. There were 205 shop burglaries and only one cleared up-0.5 per cent. Minister, these clear-up rates are pathetic. Not only is the government failing the Canberra community in preventing crime but you are also failing to solve the crimes.

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