Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (21 June) . . Page.. 2406 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

I turn now to vocational education and training. There are some very significant initiatives for the CIT in this budget. I am delighted with that. The CIT has gone through some difficult times, with cuts in previous years. I am pleased that we are now in an up period when they will get more money. They have done exceptionally well. They have emerged the stronger for it, and the government makes no apologies for that. I commend all the staff at the CIT for the work they have done. They have increased the number of training hours and increased the number of students. We should take our hats off to them. In some instances in the past couple of years they have done more with less. Now more money is being pumped in, with great initiatives like the visual campus. My congratulations to them.

It is important that vocational education and training be put to the forefront. One of the great achievements of this government is that that we have put a greater emphasis on vocational education and training. Some 60 per cent of students in year 12 do not go on to university. In the 1970s, the 1980s and, to a lesser extent, the early 1990s there was far too much emphasis on training kids to go to university when a lot did not. A greater emphasis on vocational education and training has been excellent. Over 50 per cent of year 11 and 12 kids are now doing a vocational education course. That is very positive.

There have been some wonderful advances in vocational education and training, and I have been proud to be minister. Without any false modesty, I can say I had a little bit to do with it.

Finally, I turn to sport. I am absolutely delighted that after a couple of years of pushing my somewhat reluctant and recalcitrant colleagues-who, admittedly, probably still had a budget situation to get over, because we were still just getting there-we finally have an extra $650,000 for sportsground maintenance. A bit of that will go to Manuka. It will give a significant boost to our sportsground maintenance. That will be great for our suburban sportsgrounds and enable us to bring two low-maintenance ovals back to full maintenance. One is at Cook. I believe the other one is on the south side. I will not name it. I think I know what it is but I am only 99 per cent sure. I will need to check it. That is also be good news. I was very happy to see that, as was ACTSport.

I commend this part of the budget to members. I thank Mr Berry and Ms Tucker for their comments in the debate.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-total appropriated to departments, $1,217,640,000 (net cost of outputs), $274,362,000 (capital injection) and $376,948,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $1,868,950,000-agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-part 18-Treasurer's Advance, $18,600,000-agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-total appropriations, $1,217,640,000 (net cost of outputs), $274,362,000 (capital injection) and $376,948,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $1,887,550,000-agreed to.

Remainder of bill, by leave, taken as a whole and agreed to.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .