Page 1232 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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these achievements within the time is not permissible but I will make note of some prominent matters.
One thing the government cannot be accused of is being wasteful; it is the opposite of being wasteful. This government has delivered structural reform to the ACT budget, has made government service delivery more efficient and has invested in the future.
The opposition could learn a lesson from this government’s investment in education. This government has addressed longstanding inefficiencies in the delivery of education services in the ACT. It has reduced waste, while at the same time it has increased its investment in education. This government has committed to providing—
Members interjecting—
MS BURCH: The cross-dialogue is somewhat distracting—please. This government has committed to providing high-quality education for all students in the territory, no matter what their background or where they live. Committing to high-quality education for all, rather than almost all, is not wasteful or inefficient; it is fair, it is decent and it is a prudent investment in Canberra’s future.
Education is one of the most important foundations for building a better city and a stronger community. Quality education is an investment in the future prosperity of our community. This government has invested more than $350 million in building new and upgrading public schools, invested more than $200 million in improving teacher quality, raised teachers pay by between 39 per cent and 60 per cent since being elected, introduced lower class sizes for children K-3, invested $15 million to establish four new early childhood schools, committed an additional $3.3 million to a suite of strategies designed to improve the literacy and numeracy of Indigenous students and increased funding to non-government schools by over 35 per cent since being elected. I wonder what the opposition would term as wasteful in this significant investment. Would it be the $200 million for improving teacher quality? Could it be the $3.3 million for improving literacy and numeracy for our Indigenous children?
The reality is that this government is the opposite of wasteful. This government has improved the efficiency of services in the ACT and has been able to increase investment in education, health and other important areas.
Health is another area where this government has improved performance and increased investment. I note Mr Smyth’s recent media release—his wasteful media release—that did not go anywhere near the government’s investment in health and education. Rather, his media release—his important thought for the week—attempted to attack justice and community safety. It was an unjust attack. This government has undertaken significant law reform across a wide range of policy areas. Through these reforms, this government has ensured more equitable access to justice and removed discrimination. This government has strengthened the ACT human rights framework and it has achieved tort reform and the reform of numerous areas of criminal law. Such reform is far from wasteful. Such reform is hard work and time consuming but it is certainly not wasteful, yet the opposition would begrudge investment in staff development for justice and community safety.
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