Page 3174 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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MADAM SPEAKER: Do you claim to have been misrepresented?
MS BURCH: Yes.
MADAM SPEAKER: If you claim to have been misrepresented, you can explain simply how you have been misrepresented.
MS BURCH: During question time, Mr Doszpot claimed that my answer to a question that he had placed on notice was not accurate. In doing so, I believe he selectively quoted from my answer in a way that gave an inaccurate impression of what I said. He claimed that my response was:
… school capacity numbers for each public high school and secondary college are not produced.
What I did say was:
School capacity numbers for each level of schooling for each public high school and secondary college are not produced.
That, I believe, does make a world of difference. Those words, “for each level of schooling”, were included in both the question on notice and in my answer to that question. They were taken out of Mr Doszpot’s question today—indeed, twice. At best, it is a nuance of interpretation; at worst, it could itself be misleading. Since question time, however, I have made—
MADAM SPEAKER: Minister Burch, you cannot make—
MS BURCH: Could provide a different response—
MADAM SPEAKER: You need to be very careful about how you use the word “mislead”.
MS BURCH: Yes. Since question time I have made inquiries of the Education and Training Directorate and have received the following response:
The minister’s statement that school capacity numbers for each level of schooling for public high school and secondary colleges were not produced is correct. The directorate does not have prescribed school capacity numbers at each level of schooling. In providing advice to the minister on the ability of schools to enrol more students, broad statements describe whether in approximate terms the school has capacity to accept further enrolments. This does not mean that there is a defined upper limit for enrolment at each school level, as it is ETD’s policy that each public school must accept enrolments from within its defined priority area.
I table the following paper.
Public high school student numbers—Select Committee on Estimates 2013-2014—Copy of answer to question on notice No. E13-197, dated 10 July 2013.
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