Page 3113 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 August 2005
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(2) calls on the Stanhope Government to:
(f) table by the adjournment on Thursday, 18 August 2005 all advice received that led to the decision to close Ginninderra District High School;
(g) share that advice with the school community at Ginninderra District High School;
(h) suspend all activity which would lead to the closure of the Ginninderra District High School until the whole community has been consulted on the educational, financial and social impact of the closure and the community has been given an opportunity to consider other alternatives; and
(i) ensure that proper consultation is carried out before the decision is made to close any other school in West Belconnen.
There are several reasons for moving this motion. They are, however, quite simple to summarise. The proposed closure of Ginninderra district high school, along with several other schools, and their replacement by a mega school epitomises the corporatist arrogance of the Stanhope government and its contempt for the ordinary people of Canberra—the very people Labor has traditionally claimed to represent. I would like to substantiate my claim by referring to section 20 (5) of the Education Act 2004, which states:
Before closing or amalgamating a government school, the Minister must—
(a) have regard to the educational, financial and social impact on students at the school, the students’ families and the general school community; and
(b) ensure that school communities affected by the closure or amalgamation have been adequately consulted during a period of at least six months.
I have already alluded to the fact that, while in a literal sense this second clause allows the interpretation that school communities need only be consulted before a school is closed, it is evident that the spirit of the act means something quite different. Consultations should take place before any decision is made. That is certainly how most parents, students and teachers have interpreted it until the latest display of government condescension. The minister is supposed to be accountable to those parents, students and teachers and they are the people that the minister is supposed to be serving.
It is difficult to ascertain precise details. Although the Chief Minister states that he approves of open government, it appears from media reports that the only consultation that occurred before a decision was made about Ginninderra high school involved a series of eight secret focus groups at a reported cost to taxpayers of something between $35,000 and $45,000. Up to $45,000 was handed over to a group called Colmar Brunton Social Research. In addition, there was a question about whether that figure included $50 paid to each participant to sign a confidentiality agreement and come to the government’s preferred conclusion. That is something we do not know.
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