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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 2 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 352 ..

MRS CROSS: Not for me, Mr Speaker. I ask a supplementary question. It is interesting that the Chief Minister made comment earlier about best possible service. Hopefully that will be extended not only to disability services but to all the rest of responsibilities to Canberra constituents. You of all people should know what my responsibilities are, because as Chief Minister, if you do not, you should be embarrassed.

My supplementary question to you, Chief Minister, is this: why have such guidelines not been issued? Given that all of your ministers are already falling behind in responding to constituent correspondence, which I assume you do regard seriously, will you now do so and table the guidelines when they have been promulgated?

MR STANHOPE: I have enormous confidence in my ministerial colleagues. I think it is probably the best cabinet ever to adorn the place, and I expect enormous things from them. At this stage I have no doubt that they are responding appropriately and in a timely way to all correspondence, just as they are to all constituent inquiries and to all requests for consultation. This is a government that will genuinely consult. This is a government that will do what you promised to do when you came back from Bungendore. You promise to do now what you failed to do for the last six years-namely, consult with the community, talk to the community and understand what the community wants.

Mrs Cross: Mr Speaker, I take a point of order. I simply would like an answer to the supplementary question, given that we were elected by the citizens of Canberra and constituents. I want an answer to my question.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mrs Cross! I thought I heard an answer. Do you wish to add anything further, Chief Minister?

MR STANHOPE: No, thank you, Mr Speaker.

Literacy and numeracy assessment reports

MS DUNDAS: On a totally different topic for today, my question is to the minister for education and relates to the reporting of results from ACT schools literacy and numeracy assessments. Minister, given that the results for 2001 have still not been provided to parents, can you give a commitment to the Assembly that the results will be reported in such a way that they cannot be collated into school league tables by maintaining the system of reporting used so far, which does not allow for the publication of school aggregated results?

MR CORBELL: Yes.

MS DUNDAS: I ask a supplementary question. Thank you for that very brief and concise answer. Minister, when can the schools community and the public expect these results to be tabled in such a way?

MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Dundas for the question. There have been delays in the preparation of the 2001 literacy and numeracy reports. These delays are the result of computing programming errors at the Educational Testing Centre, the centre contracted by the Department of Education and Community Services to compile the tests on literacy and numeracy. I am advised, Ms Dundas, that the reports should be available to schools

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