Page 2911 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 16 October 2007

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they hate any mention, any thought, of an ACT government investing money in the ACT public education system. They oppose it every inch of the way: “It is throwing good money after bad, investing in public education.” That is the view of the Liberal opposition. Their only interest in education is to pursue the agenda of the federal minister Julie Bishop.

So what is the opposition’s only education policy? The only time Mrs Dunne has sought to enter the education debate this year in any serious way was to say that what the ACT needed and what our college system needed was the HSC, external exams—Julie Bishop’s agenda. That is all that we have from the Liberal opposition. They have no ideas of their own: “We will just pinch a couple of things that Howard and his mob in their last 39 days are doing up on the big hill.” That is their vision for education in the ACT. They are silent on early childhood education, silent on physical education within our schools, silent on arts programs, silent on languages. They have absolutely nothing to say—

Mrs Dunne: Who has killed the language programs in this place? What did you do to the Italian program? You’ve killed it.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mrs Dunne! That is the last time. I warn you, Mrs Dunne.

MR BARR: about any substantive issues in education, other than parroting what Julie Bishop has to say; that is all. That is the big vision: HSC for our college system. That is it; otherwise, nothing for 18 months. In fact it goes back further than that. The only time there has been a policy on education from the Liberal opposition was when Mr Pratt was the shadow education minister, and what was his position? It was that it would be necessary to close some schools, and he said that in August of 2004. That was the last substantive policy from the Liberal opposition on education, yet they have the hide to get up here this morning and seek to express grave concern.

The grave concern that this Assembly should have is for the shadow Treasurer and the difficulties that he is going to face working with his shadow ministers, whose only policy response is either to parrot the federal government or seek to spend, spend, spend. They will put the territory back into deficit unless the shadow Treasurer is strong enough to stand up to them. But he is not the leader, is he? And we know why.

Motion (by Mr Hargreaves) put:

That the question be now put.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

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