Page 3140 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 August 2005
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Mrs Dunne: You said that your advice said that this was the only place you could build it.
MS GALLAGHER: I do have advice, Mrs Dunne. I was very careful with my words, Mr Speaker. I said, “The advice I have is that the best place to build this school is on the front of the block.” That was the advice that I had. Subsequently, through a consultation period when, lo and behold, people had questions and they wanted answers from me, they raised an issue with me and their views on it and—gee, a terrible outcome!—I, as the minister, responded to that. I engaged an independent analyst so that the level of cynicism that was being stirred up by Mrs Dunne could be offset. I have had an independent person come in to provide advice to the government on the ideas that have come out through the consultation period. What a serious offence that is from the minister, responding to community suggestions and feedback during a consultation phase! I am guilty of it, absolutely guilty, dead guilty of responding to that.
We have had feedback from the community since going public with this proposal from the government. In the feedback mailbox and correspondence to me, we received 30 responses from 20 to 29 July. As to phone calls to the Department of Education and Training, we received 27 from 20 to 29 July. In the last month, from 29 July to 23 August, we have received 27 responses to the mailbox and to letters. There were no phone calls during this time to the Department of Education and Training. Community consultation meetings have been held. The Minister’s Youth Council has met. Belconnen Community Services and the Uniting Care Kippax had a meeting on 17 August.
The Macgregor primary school P&C has met. A business breakfast has been held. A community council meeting in Belconnen is coming up. There is a stall at Kippax Fair. There will be open days at Amaroo, with free buses from Ginninderra district high, on Friday, 9 September and Saturday, 10 September. There will be a community forum again on 14 September. I have met with the P&C. I have undertaken to meet with them following that meeting on 14 September. This is genuine consultation. This is government responding to community feedback. The allegations being put forward by the opposition and by the Greens that the government has shut its ears, that it is not responding to this process, are simply incorrect.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (12.23): The minister says that she has not shut her ears, that the government have not shut their collective ears. I would challenge them, to demonstrate just how open those ears are, to put all of the information on the table, to put the $43 million on the table and say to the community of west Belconnen, “How can we best spend it on our collective behalf”—not on behalf of the government—“for the best educational outcome for the people of west Belconnen?” That is what it is about. It is about consultation and it is about being open.
The other day, one of the Liberal staff members—a staff member who does not need to be named, Mr Gentleman—reminded me of one of the better lines from Blackadder and it went something like this, “Baldric, you would not recognise a subtle plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked atop a harpsichord singing, ‘Subtle plans are here again.’” Baldric’s failures with subtle plans are akin to the Stanhope government’s failures when it comes to consultation; they would not recognise it if it danced naked in front of them. But the community in west Belconnen, and the community in Canberra generally,
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