Page 1460 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Mr Doszpot: We have—
MS HUNTER: Mr Doszpot is interrupting. But what I am saying is that when we put our motion up Mr Doszpot did not want to support the motion unless we took out our starting date.
What has happened along the way is that we have had some negotiations with the government and I am very pleased that Minister Burch has lost that terminology around business case. I really do think that what we have got here is a scoping study. It is an assessment very much in my motion, talking about models of service delivery and so forth. We do need to look at all those options and we do need to get it right. It was quite clear in my motion that we were going to do this work to see what models were out there. We do have a lot of documented models. We have already got models that are operating.
It is good to see we have moved away from that idea of a business case, this idea that it has to financially stack up and pay for itself in some way. So I do appreciate that clarification and that part of the amendment from the minister. Once Minister Burch had tabled this amendment, we had a further discussion and Minister Burch agreed that there should be some sort of implementation date that we are working towards that gives some sort of certainty for families that have been waiting for years and years for assistance in this area. It is unfortunate that the Canberra Liberals could not come at that. But I am pleased to see that Minister Burch has then agreed to revise her original amendment to add in an implementation plan with a view to starting first term in 2012.
I know that there will be many families out there who will really welcome this work being done and a commitment to get on with it, to have a look at what can be done and the type of models, to ensure that we have got a far better coverage right across the ACT but particularly plugging a very big hole, that big gap, here on the north side of Canberra.
I know that it will also be a great thing for them to see that there is going to be an implementation plan and a starting date. I have had several parents visiting me for quite some time now. Different parents will come each time, but one of the mums who have been pretty constant has been begging and begging: “Please do something about this because my child is in primary school after-school care at the moment but that will not be too much longer. He will be off to high school. We will not be able to continue that arrangement and I am desperate. I really do want to continue my employment. I do not have the highest ranking job in the area I work in, in the federal public service, but I love my job. My job is so important to me. It is such an important thing to be able to get out to spend time in a workplace and to be able to also earn some money.”
So I say thank you to Minister Burch. We will be supporting your amendment. We will not be supporting Mr Doszpot’s amendment. I very much look forward to hearing updates along the way about how the work is going and look forward to having these services operate for these families who really do need this support. Hopefully we will see it in the first term of next year. I very much hope that is the outcome.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video