Page 2780 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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Ngunnawal is a perfect case in point. Ngunnawal had 548 enrolments at the beginning of 2014. So 545 students started the year. The capacity was 525. Now two double transportables will be put in place, so that will give it an additional 100 places. But that will only happen next year when you will have additional enrolments, Ms Burch. So these are the issues that somehow you have failed to understand.
I have gone through Ms Burch’s amendments. I think there are only marginal changes, if anything. I cannot see what this government cannot accept when we call on the government to undertake more regular and detailed maintenance audits of our public schools infrastructure so that Canberra families can be certain that their children are safe at ACT public schools. I cannot understand why the government or Mr Rattenbury will not accept any of these requests. For example:
consult more widely with the community on the future needs of Canberra families in respect of school size, location and facilities …
Consult. This is what this government has been told through various portfolios time and again. Again:
commit additional funds this financial year to deliver improvements to those schools that have been waiting years for upgrades including cooling and heating in classrooms …
These are urgent issues that the community is raising loud and clear, but Ms Burch is apparently the only one who does not seem to hear that constant refrain from the community and from every level—teachers, students and the community. Paragraph 2(d) of the motion states:
make public the Government’s plans and timeline for future upgrades to Canberra schools …
What is wrong with asking for that? Paragraph 2(e) states:
make school infrastructure a priority.
I refer to paragraph 2(f) of Ms Burch’s amendment just to highlight how similar all of her points are. It states:
ensure that schools and education remain a government priority …
Well, I am saying that the government should make school infrastructure a priority, because currently it does not appear to be a priority of this government.
Ms Burch’s amendments to my motion can only be described as a complete whitewash. It should be noted that the serious concerns that I and others in the community have raised about faulty electrical wiring in switchboards have been completely dismissed by Ms Burch. I have visited Taylor School and I have been very impressed with everything that has happened there, Ms Burch. Again, you misquoted me on that. What I said was that the circumstances surrounding why they had to move had to be addressed, and they have to be addressed at other schools so that it does not happen again.
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