Page 3121 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 August 2005
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convenience; it is about protecting students and ensuring any information that assists the government in making decisions is protected, and for good reason.
We will release all the information we can. I have met with the parents and citizens association, with the union and with members of the community. I have responded to every question that has been asked of me. Essentially, this is a good and strong proposal for the future educational needs of west Belconnen. We would like to see this proposal implemented across other areas of Canberra.
No minister would stand up in this chamber and say that he or she has ignored all the issues that are facing us—declining enrolments, ageing infrastructure and the number of schools in the ACT. For the first time since self-government this government is acknowledging the difficult issues. It is not talking about closing the doors, walking away and leaving communities without a school; it is talking about reinvesting and building a new school in an established area. We believe it will have significant educational benefits for children in that area for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years. I move:
Omit all words after “notes:”, substitute:
(a) that the ACT Government has recently announced a proposal to build a new state-of-the-art school in West Belconnen;
(b) the proposal will inject an investment of $43 million of infrastructure with considerable educational benefits for the children and young people of West Belconnen;
(c) the proposal involves a multi-campus, middle schooling model, already used successfully elsewhere in the ACT and Australia;
(d) while the proposal will result in disruption to the current students of Ginninderra District High School, individual transition plans to address the educational needs of each student are being implemented to minimise the disruption to each student;
(e) that the ACT Government has commenced an extensive process of community consultation due to conclude in December 2005; and
(f) that, in response to community concerns, further work will be done by the ACT Government in response to community feedback, and that information will be made available to the community prior to the next public meeting in September.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, point of order.
Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, I wish to raise a point of order. I ask for a ruling on whether or not this motion is out of order because it is contrary to the spirit of the motion originally moved and negates most of that motion. If the government wants to vote down the motion, that is fine. This is a standard practice. The motion needs to be in accordance with the original motion.
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