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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 6 Hansard (14 June) . . Page.. 1704 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

believe you." The free school bus issue is a bit like the Belconnen pool promise-it is a perennial one. I have got more grey hairs, and less hair, since that promise was first made.

All of a sudden this promise has emerged at the end of an electoral cycle when the government's stocks are down, when it has been the subject of much criticism over imbroglios like the Bruce Stadium, the hospital implosion, the Futsal slab, the Feel the Power campaign and so on. The removal of the Floriade fee is another election sweetener.

Unquestionably, this is election sweetener season. We are seeing some promises that are pretty much along the lines of John Howard's election sweeteners. Members will recall the $300 bribe to pensioners that was made by John Howard. I think this free school bus scheme will be received with about the same warmth as pensioners gave to the $300 bribe from John Howard. People will be entirely cynical about it, and for good reason.

Mr Speaker, proposed section 66AA (1) in clause 4 of the bill states:

We think it is important that the money be saved for schools. We do not want the government to adopt an expensive scheme and waste money on hiring buses. We want to make sure that this money is not spent before the ACT election.

If a Liberal government wins the election, they can then proceed with it, if that is their wish. But nobody has won the election yet. It is highly doubtful that the Liberals will win. It is more likely that Labor will get closer than the Liberals but it is unlikely that either will win on their own. After a government of either persuasion has been formed, it will be open to this Assembly to authorise the introduction of a free school bus scheme. It ought to be authorised after the election, not before.

This is the sweetest of election sweeteners. It is so sweet that it has turned the stomach of many in the school community, and for good reason. They see it for what it is. They know that there is a need out there for smaller class sizes in the K to year 3 category. They know, I know, and members of this Assembly know that there is a need for much more money to support students right through to year 12. They know that it is important that we make an effort in our primary schools. They know that there are troubled areas in our high schools where students need more support. They know that this occurs not just in the government schools but in the non-government sector as well. That is why Labor has decided that we ought to come up with a shared arrangement to ensure that some of this money is distributed to people in the non-government sector as well.

Mr Speaker, a crucial part of our plan, of course, is to restore the single zone bus fare system which was wiped out by this government when they went into rip-off mode and targeted parents whose children mostly went to non-government schools. They ripped millions out of those parents by doubling the cost of sending their kids to school.

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