Page 4146 - Week 11 - Thursday, 17 Sept 2009
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In the Towards 2020 proposal, the understandable concern that some communities had in regard to the possible closure of their schools was intense. The public interest focused on community issues. Consequently, there was much less critical analysis of the scale and shape of the reform proposal itself.
While many of the concerns raised were about the way the consultation was conducted, there were also many consecutive concerns raised about the time frame. This included that announcing school closures and conducting consultation all within a six-month time frame gave the school communities very little time to gather information and prepare a case for their schools to remain open. Families also had to deal with the prospect of finding a new school at the same time as dealing with these challenges.
Ms Burch has stated that there was broad support for Towards 2020. However, she has only quoted two groups, and one of those groups selectively. The Australian Education Union, while recognising the general reasoning behind closing schools, also raised significant concerns about the way the process was done. Other groups included ACTCOSS, ACT Playgroups Association, various P&C associations and the Canberra Preschool Society.
I would also like to make some general comments or observations on the tabling of reports recently. While I recognise that once a report is tabled members are able to comment on all aspects of the inquiry, it has been surprising the level to which some members have taken this. Committee deliberations were conducted in a collegiate manner in an atmosphere of trust. I am concerned that if we are seeing this manner of conducting deliberations no longer adhered to, this will affect reports and deliberations in the future.
MS BURCH (Brindabella) (10.47): I would like to note my appreciation to the committee secretariat, especially Sandra Lilburn, for her assistance and support. I would also like to thank organisations, groups and individuals who provided submissions and took the time to participate.
My dissenting report has been tabled. It is clear that my view is that this inquiry was politically driven—
Mrs Dunne: You’re in politics, sweetie. What do you think it would be?
MS BURCH: with the Liberals and Greens choosing to look back to the past rather than looking forward to the future of the ACT education system.
Mr Seselja: There used to be a tradition of backbenchers being mildly critical of government.
Mrs Dunne: Not when it comes to Andrew the precious.
MS BURCH: Despite their best efforts to focus on the negatives that they could find, we have ended up with a report that is a massive endorsement of the decisions that were made at the time.
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