Page 3270 - Week 10 - Thursday, 25 September 2014
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Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act, pursuant to section 13—Annual Report 2013-2014—Community Services Directorate (2 volumes), dated 5 September 2014.
Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act, pursuant to section 13—Annual Report 2013-2014—ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, dated 29 August 2014.
Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act, pursuant to section 13—Annual Report 2013-2014—Cultural Facilities Corporation, dated 18 September 2014.
Ms Burch, on behalf of Mr Gentleman, presented the following paper:
Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act, pursuant to section 13—Annual Report 2013-2014—Long Service Leave Authority, dated 10 September 2014.
Mr Rattenbury presented the following paper:
Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act, pursuant to section 13—Annual Report 2013-2014—Territory and Municipal Services Directorate, including the ACT Public Cemeteries Authority (2 volumes), dated 17 and 18 September 2014.
Education—priorities
Discussion of matter of public importance
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Dr Bourke): Madam Speaker has received letters from Ms Berry, Dr Bourke, Mr Doszpot, Mr Hanson, Ms Lawder, Ms Porter, Mr Smyth, and Mr Wall proposing that matters of public importance be submitted to the Assembly. In accordance with standing order 79, Madam Speaker has determined that the matter proposed by Mr Smyth be submitted to the Assembly, namely:
The importance of Government getting its education priorities right for ACT residents.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (4.12): Getting priorities right for government is a very important thing, because it is what they then deliver to the people. After all, that is what we are here for. The slogan says “the Queen, the law, and the people”. I think often the people are forgotten as governments concentrate on the law and concentrate primarily on making themselves look good.
You have to question what are the priorities of this government in education. There are a lot of glossy documents on the website: education capital, leading the nation, education capital leading the action, 2014 action plan. But as you read them, they are light on details, there are lots of quotes from people, but you do not get a sense that the government has education as a priority.
At a recent Canberra Business Council luncheon, Brian Schmidt, our Nobel Prize winner for astrophysics, said, “Yes, the ACT does pretty good at education,” but then again we always did pretty well in education. For the money we spend in education, so we should. But he told the room he thought we should be doing a lot better. He
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