Page 3129 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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Mr Coe: He didn’t say “primary school”.
MR BARR: In his letter to me he did, and it is understandable—Gold Creek has a senior and a junior campus. Mr Doszpot’s letter referred to the primary campus. I have sought advice and understand that the heating issue was a faulty part. The 17 temporary heaters have arrived to heat the science labs in the high school whilst a replacement part is being sought to fix the heating system. From time to time—it even occurs in this place—heating and cooling systems break down. That happens in the real world—it happens here, it happens everywhere. The important thing is that the directorate moved quickly to provide 17 temporary heating sources and has undertaken the work necessary to source a replacement part.
Mr Doszpot: Does it take two weeks to fix it, though?
MR BARR: It took less than two weeks, Mr Doszpot. The replacement part will take more than two weeks to arrive, I am advised, but the temporary heating was put in place as soon as possible. That is a minor issue, I think, in the context of this education budget. It is important, nonetheless, that, if I have the information, I provide it to the shadow minister, and I was happy to do so in this instance.
To conclude my remarks on the education and training portfolio, I indicate that I see the most substantive issue that confronts us in vocational education and higher education as the work that Professor Denise Bradley is concluding in relation to the future administrative and governance structures for the Canberra Institute of Technology and the University of Canberra. This is a significant public policy challenge and will be one of the most significant decisions we take in relation not only to education and training provision but economic development for the ACT in the education and training sector. There are a number of complex issues that we need to address in considering our reform options.
The one thing I hope I made clear in the estimates process—I will again make it clear tonight—is that doing nothing is not an option. Reform is coming in public TAFE. The federal government has announced a significant reform package and has put nearly $2 billion on the table to allow adjustment in the vocational education and training sector. The work of Skills Australia is presenting a particular path, and it is undeniable that, unless we reform, the Canberra Institute of Technology would suffer a very bleak future in a deregulated environment. So reform is essential.
In my view there are essentially two options: it is either a coming together of the CIT and the University of Canberra to form a new institution or it is a much greater level of institutional autonomy for the CIT. The current arrangements will not work into the future for those institutions, and we have to have a serious consideration of reform in this area. I look forward to engaging in this debate with colleagues in the Assembly and, indeed, with a broad range of education stakeholders through the rest of 2011. But the time for a decision will come, and it will come this year because the changes and the deregulation that will occur in higher education will pick up speed in 2012, and we must resolve this issue in 2011.
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