Page 1851 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 2 May 2012
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This is not even sectoral, Dr Bourke. This is not even what you are saying that we are divisive on. In fact, quite the opposite: what we are trying to do is to bring the needs of the government and non-government education sectors in the ACT very much into focus. We are asking for the ACT government to provide assurances that no ACT school will be disadvantaged if the recommendations of the Gonski review are implemented.
So here today Canberra families are obviously being given a clear choice about who supports education equity in Canberra. We see here a government that is walking away from Catholic schools, closely followed, if not pushed, by their coalition partners, the Greens—all very eloquent in their flowery words of support for the various education sectors in Canberra, but when it comes to the reality of putting this to a vote, all that wonderful flowery, motivational, aspirational talk just disappears. We get “no, no, we can’t vote for that”. That is what is coming through loud and clear.
Both the Greens and the government have refused to acknowledge that schools need fairer funding. I think Ms Hunter alluded to it, but when it comes down to black and white she refuses to accept that. She refuses to accept that what we currently have is unfair funding. Instead, Dr Bourke and Ms Hunter prefer to leave it all up to the federal government, for when and if the federal government decides to move to change things. Dr Bourke said before that he understands what the Gonski review is about. But I think his objection to this motion again highlights his lack of understanding of the Gonski report. In pushing all the onus onto the federal government, they fail to realise that funding for ACT schools is made up of both federal and territory funding, and any changes delivered as a consequence of the Gonski report will have to have the approval of and the buy in of the states and territories. You cannot just say, “We won’t support your motion because this is a federal issue.” It is a federal-started issue but one that will involve all of the states and territories.
I am not quite sure what else I can add to this. I am just dumbfounded that our colleagues here in this Assembly refuse to face the reality. As Mr Seselja has pointed out, the ACT Liberals stand for fairness and equity for all schools. We support freedom of choice and we support government, non-government, independent and Catholic schools. Today the ACT Legislative Assembly has given Canberra families a clear choice. Now they know which members of this Assembly and which parties of this Assembly support all education in Canberra.
We obviously will not be supporting the amendments. The amendments make a mockery of the motion that has been put before the Assembly today. I would strongly urge our counterparts to reconsider. We always debate things. Part of the beauty of the Assembly is that at times we have a sharing of ideas. But this is not a sharing of ideas; this is simply almost thought-police-like work: “That’s unacceptable, that’s unacceptable and that’s unacceptable.” This government is not listening to what the people out there want.
So today I guess the ACT Legislative Assembly will be giving Canberra families a clear choice between those who support and those who do not support all education in the ACT.
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