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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2377 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

years. Independent schools make up 10 per cent of the ACT education system, but they received nothing.

Mr Wood: How much per cent?

MR PRATT: Ten per cent.

Mr Wood: I thought it might have been a bit more than that.

MR PRATT: Yes, Mr Wood-10 per cent. This is archaic socialism at its best, pandering to the narrow-minded socialist left elements in the community but, for the main part, ignoring-indeed, disenfranchising-the non-government sector. So much for diversity, so much for choice.

This is disgraceful. Might I remind the education minister that he is the minister for all schools-that is, he is the minister for the ACT schooling system. Yes, education minister, your first duty is to ensure that the government school sector is capable of delivering an essential service to the community. We, on this side of the house, will always support you in that. We will always support the government in ensuring the first delivery of essential service-a good government school sector service.

Mr Speaker, we have 38 per cent of our students attending non-government schools. So the minister also has a duty to be inclusive about the non-government sector. This he has not done in this budget. Thirty-eight per cent of our students are severely underrepresented by this government in their budget.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about expenditure on inquiries. I note that $540,000 has been spent on about five education inquiries. That is an appropriation of about $440,000 out of this new budget. I include the $100,000 taken out of the current financial year's expenditure for the Connors inquiry, which cost a quarter of a million dollars-an extravaganza.

Totally, we see $540,000 spent on inquiries, which could have been spent elsewhere. For example, it could have been spent on IT resources for both government and non-government schools. That is a lot of money. It would have gone a long way to the coalface. It would have given families a lot of support. More importantly, we now have a raft of inquiries which will take time and further delay decision-making. That money could have been committed now to the coalface, not in spending on jobs for the boys.

This inquiry season that we see under way means that the minister's policy decision vacuum continues and it will go on and on. Thank God-at least we have the previous government's program in place, motoring along.

Finally, it cannot be underestimated that the previous Liberal government's education system-then the best in Australia-carries this government. We will closely scrutinise the government's budget and their implementation of it, to ensure they do not wreck that system.

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