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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Wednesday, 11 February 2004) . . Page.. 258 ..

a regular basis in response to various people. I do not think there is any objective evidence to support the request to review all school crossings. But that is what we will do: we will have a look at all 300 of them. I will try to get back by 1 July, and I might have to come back and seek an extension because it is a lot, Mr Pratt.

When this motion started out today, I do not think anybody understood. Just put a motion on the notice paper and go for it! We have to fill some time on private members day, and nobody really understood the extent of the problem or what the Department of Urban Services is constantly doing in response to problems that are out there. The actual road safety performance in traffic management measures around schools, including school crossings, and the level of safety afforded to students over the last 10 years do not indicate that there are problems that require us to look at 300 schools.

There is another thing, and I think Ms Tucker is right. Her amendment, which I have not actually read, includes Urban Services in this review. The education minister—let me be precise: Ms Gallagher—and I will see that this happens. I do not know about non-government schools. Non-government schools are not mentioned here. You do not want me to include non-government schools?

Mr Pratt: That was a given. We are talking about schools. If we are talking about schools, we are talking about the entire ACT schooling system.

MR WOOD: Okay, I will take that. I guess it was a given, but it was a slipped given.

Ms Gallagher: So it’s now 140 schools to look at?

MR WOOD: No. When I say 300 crossings, I am talking about all schools. This is a lesson for this Assembly. If you have an issue like this and you want to do something, I do not mind if you come and talk to me first and maybe we can keep things on track. I can give you a briefing and tell you about it. But from time to time motions come up here that are something for the day and they are not always well founded.

I will undertake to look at school crossings at every school—in just what format I do not know. Can I make a suggestion? We might wipe a few off if we have been looking at them in the last period. Let’s not repeat what has been done in a recent time. Amaroo will be done and modern schools. In order to make this a feasible task—I do not think you understood how extensive it is—we might make some assessments and not absolutely every school in fine detail. Give me a bit of flexibility here, if you would. I do not want to get a motion of no confidence when I come back, mind you.

Mr Pratt: We will work that through with you, Minister.

MR WOOD: Thank you. We will work that through. I will talk to you about it. I would have wished that you had talked to me first, but I will talk to you about it. With those provisos, this government will not resist this motion, but I am not convinced it is necessary.

MS DUNDAS (6.38): I will talk to the substantive motion and the amendment. We are talking about the very important safety issue of the roads around our schools and the ability of children to access those schools and travel along those roads. We do not want

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