Page 3565 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 15 November 2006
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Certainly the letters I have been receiving back have some fantastic proposals for how we can improve the quality of our schools, and that is what the government is going to do. I can predict now that those opposite will continue to oppose every project. They will say, “It is terrible; the government should not be spending money.” I certainly know that we on this side of the house believe that these investments are important and that a huge amount of money is required to bring some of the schools that were built on the cheap by the commonwealth in the sixties and seventies up to an acceptable standard in the 21st century. Not only do we need to improve the school infrastructure; we also need to provide additional resources for information technology. That is clearly the case and that is why the government is seeking to make this investment. I do acknowledge that Mrs Dunne said that she would agree with most of what I have put forward here.
Mr Mulcahy: Do you think computers will solve your problems?
MR BARR: I do not suggest that computers in isolation, Mr Mulcahy, will solve the problems, but I do believe that we have the possibility in our city-state to ensure that every school in this territory has high-quality broadband access. That is something that we can do in the ACT that will be more of a challenge for the Western Australian education minister or the Queensland minister or the New South Wales minister—to be able to have optical fibre broadband with the sort of bandwidth that we will need in the next decade and to have that available in the ACT. That is something that we will seek to do. That is why we are investing this money. That is why we have invested money in Smartport. That is why we have invested money in the latest technology. Why should students in the government system miss out? Those opposite appear to be arguing that that investment is good money after bad; that we should not be making it. You need only ask the school communities. It is interesting that in question time—
Mrs Dunne: Ask the Giralang community. They got their money from the feds. Ask the Giralang community. Didn’t they get their money from the feds because you weren’t prepared to do it?
MR BARR: It is interesting, isn’t it, that Mrs Dunne is saying that money invested by the commonwealth government in technology in schools is a good investment, but if the ACT government do it we do not know why we are doing it and it is good money after bad. Is that really what you are saying? Is it your position that only the commonwealth government knows how to invest money in schools? It certainly does; in the last decade the commonwealth government has invested a considerable amount of money in private schools. As I indicated in question time, I welcome all the commonwealth investment in public schools. I just wish there was more of it. It would be terrific if there were more commonwealth money invested in our schools.
I am sure those opposite would join with me in welcoming increased commonwealth investment in ACT government schools. You would have no qualms at all about doing that, would you? Absolutely none, Mr Seselja, would you? No problems at all. Will we come around with the joint media release then that the Assembly, everyone, calls on the commonwealth government to invest more money in ACT government schools? I welcome the support of the opposition. I think that is something that we should do. We will go around to each of your offices and see if you are prepared to
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