Page 2805 - Week 08 - Thursday, 24 August 2006
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might value-add to the ACT education system. It is a spin doctored glossy package, which covers a knee-jerk reaction—a last minute knee-jerk reaction—to close schools because the government looked into the depths and horrors of the Costello report and they did not like what they saw.
What we have here is a strategy that is really a fait accompli. As I said to the minister yesterday, 39 closures is a joke. For that number of schools in one go to be announced and put on a hit list as potential schools to close is an absolute joke. The opposition does not argue that you will have to close some schools at some stage. Any government may have to do that. However, to close that many schools, you really needed to start consulting in 2005 if your milestone was December 2006 to January 2007, and you have not done that.
You really needed to do that so that you could give schools the chance to fight their cases over a year or so and beyond then make the hard decisions that had to be made. But the government at least should have given families the 14 months or so warning that they need to have to be able to mobilise and make life changing decisions and to get other government services into sync as well. You have not done that. You just have not done that. That is why you have created great upheaval.
I would just like to talk about a couple of schools in my electorate—firstly, Tharwa primary school. They are a brave community and they are putting up a very good case. They have questioned the rationale put forward by the government on why Tharwa should be looking down the barrel of a gun. Surely here is a school that demonstrates a whole range of standards—academic performances, social achievements, the uniqueness of that school, the uniqueness of that community, the history of that school. These are all powerful arguments why these closures must be tackled on a case-by-case basis. Simply because a school is small in population does not mean it should have a sword of Damocles hanging over it.
In relation to the Kambah valley schools, we see all of those communities mobilised because they fear that that entire area—Kambah and that north-western corner of Brindabella—may well lose the great majority of its schools and then for the one or two schools that are left having to cater for kids scattered over that area. The case they have put forward is quite impressive. I do not know how they are going to fare, but if guts and drive are any indication, hopefully they will win out against this draconian plan.
The opposition has put forward an alternative to your plan. We have suggested that you run an inquiry under the Inquiries Act and really assess the community needs, then consult, and look at what must happen. Of course, you will not do that. I echo the comments made by Mr Smyth, Ms MacDonald and Mr Gentleman, who have visited school communities. Those Labor members have done so in good faith, but I think you have been about as shocked as we have been. I hope that you, tonight, will not vote to close schools, because if you vote tonight to close schools, you are facing your moment of truth. You will either be serenaded or you will be damned. You have said great things and nice things to school communities. Let us see you stand up for your constituencies.
Why is there a drift? For the last two weeks now we have pointed out to the government that it does not have a clue why there is this drift from the public sector to the non-government sector. I do not need to labour the point, but for the record in this
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