Page 859 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 2 April 2008
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MR BARR: That is right, and this project is entirely a 2020 initiative. It is entirely a 2020 initiative—around early childhood education. What we are seeing from Mrs Dunne are the depths that she is prepared to go to to advance her political career to the detriment of the students at Lyons primary school. We have it here in black and white from the president of the P&C committee.
Mr Smyth: Who is the president?
MR BARR: The president is Lisa Ramshaw. She has written a letter which I am very happy to table, in addition to the letter that I read out yesterday from the school board chair, which said, “I do not think the school community has been shabbily treated as quoted by Mr Seselja.”
Mr Stefaniak: Point of order again, Mr Speaker, on relevance.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Barr made the point that these matters relate to a school which is being dealt with under the 2020 program, so it is relevant.
Mr Stefaniak: That is about as far as it goes, Mr Speaker. It is in relation to one school.
MR SPEAKER: I have ruled on it.
Mr Stefaniak: We are in the middle of a debate—
MR SPEAKER: I have ruled on it, Mr Stefaniak. Sit down.
MR BARR: They really do not like to hear this. Their political meddling and political point scoring have been caught out by the school board chair and by the president of the P&C. The lengths that Mrs Dunne is prepared to go to to generate media publicity, to derail this effective consultative process, as has been indicated by both the school board chair and the P&C chair—
Mr Seselja: You’ve changed your position three times in 24 hours.
MR BARR: We will take Mrs Dunne’s word for it over that of the P&C president and the school board chair, will we?
Mr Smyth: No, we take it over yours.
MR BARR: Is that what Mr Smyth is suggesting? Only in his fantasy world would he suggest that about Mrs Dunne, who has been caught out here not once but twice—caught out, sadly, going to any lengths to get a headline. She stands condemned.
The parents at Lyons primary school will engage in a constructive process with the department of education to get the best outcomes for their kids. That is what is important here, not cheap political stunts from the opposition.
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