Page 222 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
This motion calls for the government to explain the current situation and to act to improve things in the future. I urge the minister to do so. I feel that the amendments do not undermine the intent that was put forward today by Mrs Dunne in her motion.
I believe that, by the passing of the amendments, through this amended motion, we will get to see some results. I would expect to see those results sooner rather than later. The one around childcare costs is a far more complex issue and involves different layers, or tiers, of government. It does involve the federal government. But certainly one that is a very local issue is that ongoing importance to ensure that we do provide accommodation for childcare, play schools, playgroups and preschools.
All of us in this place need to have a commitment to providing early childhood education and care that are of the highest quality. It is the best thing that we can do for our children here in the ACT.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (5.17): I fully support the motion moved by Mrs Dunne on the Gumnut Place Child Care Centre. It is a great disappointment that it has come to this.
Before I get into what I am going to say, I would to acknowledge that Amanda Ronald, the chairperson of the Gumnut committee, is here today. The work that she and her committee have done is outstanding. It is a shame that a volunteer board of directors should have to work so hard to maintain the good work they are doing already.
When you look at the benefits that Gumnut provides to the Belconnen community and the broader Canberra community, it is quite amazing. They have got 12 full-time staff, 80 kids and about 50 families—let alone the grandparents. And on and on.
The benefits that such a community centre brings are absolutely amazing. Yet here we have a government that is presented with a pretty simple problem when it comes down to it. The government needs only to provide a classroom or two and the whole problem is fixed. It is my understanding that the Evatt school is not even at capacity and there may even be spare classrooms there, so there could well be a solution very close to home. Yet here you have the Chief Minister and the minister, Joy Burch, dragging their feet and refusing to cooperate.
This is very much a local issue as well as an ACT-wide issue. It is indicative of how this government acts on the whole. Given that it is a local issue, it is worth noting what some of the local members have said about this and what some of the potential local members have said about it.
People who know me well and know how I organise my stuff know that I have quite a collection of literature from the past four or five ACT elections. I could have gone back to the 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004 folders, but I did not. I just ventured into the 2008 folder.
Mr Seselja: That is recent.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video