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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 823 ..

MR CORBELL: No, I have not misled the Assembly, Mr Speaker, because Blue Gum had not made any specific request for IT support. Blue Gum wrote to me, if I recollect the letter-I do not have the letter in front of me-asking what was their allocation under the government's election commitment.

I indicated in my response that there was no specific allocation and that the requests would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Blue Gum would be welcome, as with any other non-government school, to detail any specific requests they had for IT support, which the government would then consider.

In my answer to Mrs Cross' question, I said that no-one had asked for any. At the time of my reply to the Blue Gum school's letter, that was the case. Subsequent to that, a number of non-government schools have raised requests, which are currently being considered.

MR SMYTH: How much-and when will you make funds available for independent schools? Or have you also misled the Western Creek Community Council? I seek leave to table the letter from Blue Gum, which clearly outlines their request for funds.

Leave granted.

MR SMYTH: I present the following paper:

MR SPEAKER: I think Mr Corbell would like to hear the question again.

MR SMYTH: The question is, minister: how much-and when will you make funds available for independent schools? Or have you also misled the Western Creek Community Council?

MR CORBELL: This matter is perfectly clear, Mr Speaker. Requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I think the government's approach is fairly clear.

Australian Labor Party

MR PRATT: My question is to Mr Stanhope, the parliamentary leader of the Labor Party in the ACT, in his capacity as Chief Minister. Do you agree with the secretary of the AMWU, Doug Cameron, who in a submission to Labor's internal review has described the ALP as out of touch and elitist and unable to effectively represent the interests of ordinary working Australians? Does that mean that you refute the claims of Mr Cameron and the ALP that ALP policy has become the play thing of parliamentary frontbenchers and their courtiers, and do you honestly believe the system of preselection in the Labor Party is not what Mr Cameron describes as only for the true believers who inherit-

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