Page 2332 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 29 August 2007
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band program. There is $12,500 for numeracy resources. There is professional development for teachers and communication infrastructure for the school. And there is a $20,000 values education program.
Dickson college is spending money upgrading its grounds, replacing ceilings in the science area and upgrading classrooms. Belconnen high school, in addition to the new gymnasium that is being provided by this government—
Mrs Dunne: You are saying the money for the gymnasium is in that account, are you?
MR BARR: In addition to the money that the government is providing for their new gymnasium—a specific request of the school board—out of the $90 million capital upgrades, the money that Mrs Dunne says is throwing good after bad—
Mr Stanhope: That’s right: good after bad.
MR BARR: On the record, continuously, Mrs Dunne—the most anti public education shadow minister in the history of self-government in the ACT. Belconnen high school is spending about $34,000 purchasing extra resources to further enhance cross-curricula learning outcomes as part of the curriculum renewal project. And they are upgrading their computers.
All of these projects are occurring across a range of schools—primary schools, high schools, everywhere—in addition to the record amount of money that the ACT government is contributing. And a certain amount of money is being contributed by the commonwealth. Mr Humphries is at it again, with another press release lauding that they have provided $11.3 million in the last four years. It is $11.3 million from the commonwealth into public schools and $350 million from the ACT government. Senator Humphries calls this investing in the best stock there is. Again, I could not agree more. This government is investing 30 times the amount that the commonwealth is over four years. (Time expired.)
Budget—revised forecasts
MR SMYTH: My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, in the last quarter of 2006-07 the ACT received an additional $90 million of revenue that you failed to forecast. Inevitably, this will have an impact on the forecasts contained in the 2007-08 budget, a budget that was introduced less than three months ago. Treasurer, what will this impact be and when will you provide the people of Canberra with an accurate picture of the budget position?
MR STANHOPE: I thank the member for the question. I am always pleased to be able to comment on the delivery of the strongest budget ever delivered by a government in the Australian Capital Territory—a budget that stands in stark contrast to the Liberal Party’s history of budgeting in its seven years of government. For the sake of the contrast, if we look at seven Liberal Party government budgets in the Australian Capital Territory we find four delivered deficits under the Australian accounting standard of $685 million. Under the current method of accounting we are looking at a combined aggregate deficit over the period of around $1 billion.
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