Page 1410 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013
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Ms Burch: Not political at all.
MR DOSZPOT: Not political, Ms Burch—not political at all, because what we are saying is that our election policy is one that we are wanting to share with you. We are wanting to share—
Ms Burch interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ms Burch! Stop the clock, please. Sit down, Mr Doszpot. Mr Doszpot, resume your seat, please. I have stopped the clock. Ms Burch, will you please not interject across the chamber. Mr Doszpot has the floor. Mr Doszpot, if the interjections occur, please do not respond to them across the chamber. Address your remarks through me.
MR DOSZPOT: It is hard not to when they are so inane.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I understand that. That is why I am asking you to address your remarks through me. I will call members who are interjecting and ask them not to. Mr Doszpot, you have the floor.
MR DOSZPOT: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. As I was pointing out, the Liberal Party policy of 2012, the election policy about an autism school, is one of the main reasons we are here—not to politicise it, but to bring it to the attention of this government, to have a look at it in a far more holistic way than the ideological approach that they have applied to it. That is what we are trying to do here.
As Mr Seselja rightly pointed out, this appears to be more of an ideological debate. But the strange thing there is that if it is ideological that this Labor Party will not accept the premise that an autism school can be run through a private organisation, that makes this ACT Labor government unique amongst all Labor governments around the country. In all other states this system is working. These autism early education areas are in place. They are funded through the various Labor governments—or the Labor governments that were in place.
The point is that the ACT, along with the Northern Territory, was the only jurisdiction to have missed out on this. The Canberra Liberals do not share the view that we should miss out on this. We believe autistic children deserve the best support and opportunities to reach their full potential. We believe children living in the ACT should not be at a disadvantage compared to children in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. That is why we promise to build the autism school that we have been talking about.
And that is what we are challenging you to do, Ms Burch, as minister for disability—to have a look at the policy and take the politics out of it. We are saying to you that if we were wanting to make an impact with it, you make an impact with it. Show us how you can do something for our community that is based on priority, that is based on children getting the attention they deserve—not a million dollars spent on a feasibility study on light rail, in this instance, or a feasibility study on two-lane highways heading into Belconnen, a pilot study that never occurred but on which $2 million was
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