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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 2210 ..

MR BERRY: Yes, after our announcement. We will put the money back in parents' pockets. Those parents who had to pay double when this government ripped them off will get some relief from Labor. As well, 60 per cent of the kids in the non-government sector who are missing out under this initiative will get some help, as will the 80 per cent in the government sector who are missing out. They will get some help as well. Under your initiative they miss out, and you think that is smart. That is not smart, in my book. if you think that is smart, you have another think coming.

The government says, "All of these people have applied for this, so they must support it." I do not think you can bank on that. I have a letter in my office from a woman who complained that she had all these additional costs because she sent two of her kids across two zones to school and it was costing her $400 a year for each of them. I explained what Labor was doing. I said, "We will reduce that by half, and we will put the rest of the money into the kids." Thumbs up, mate.

Mr Humphries: You did not tell her that we were doing it already.

MR BERRY: She first of all complained that we were undoing what you were doing with your silly free school bus scheme. When I explained what we were doing, thumbs up, bro. That is the general attitude of people out there.

This was a mistake by this government. They know it. They know that our idea is a better one. We will be putting $27 million into schools if our plan succeeds. No matter what they do, we will be putting $27 million more back into schools if this succeeds. No matter what the government says, Mr Moore can never escape the full understanding that he has abandoned education. He is not interested anymore. He did not want to talk about the free school bus scheme here today. All he wanted to talk about was a distorted view of the principles of members introducing legislation in relation to these measures. Mr Moore is totally discredited.

I go back to Mr Osborne and Mr Rugendyke. I think their position is pathetically weak. It lacks sincerity. I do not believe that they will ever recover from the hypocrisy of their actions in relation to this matter.

Question put:

The Assembly voted-

 	Ayes 8  				Noes 9

 Mr Berry  	Mr Stanhope  		Mrs Burke  	Mr Osborne
 Mr Corbell  	Ms Tucker  		Mr Cornwell  	Mr Rugendyke
 Mr Hargreaves  Mr Wood  		Mr Hird  	Mr Smyth
 Mr Kaine    				Mr Humphries  	Mr Stefaniak
 Mr Quinlan    				Mr Moore

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