Page 3178 - Week 10 - Thursday, 17 September 2015
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Ms Lawder’s amendment calls for an independent review of family day care and child care in the ACT, and such a review would help to provide certainty for families into the future and certainly a more effective call to action than Ms Burch’s call to work with the commonwealth government. I would have thought that this was a key activity for her on a regular basis.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Disability, Minister for Racing and Gaming and Minister for the Arts) (11.30): I stand to talk to the amendment and respond to some of the things said by Mr Doszpot. He is absolutely right to read out that email and share with members of this place the frustration of that family. I have been contacted by families equally trying to know when certainty for the 15 hours of preschool will be delivered.
Yes, the federal government through the former Prime Minister—you may remember him—Tony Abbott announced in May that there would a rollover. We have still not got the commonwealth to sign the NP. If those opposite, the Canberra Liberals, want to know what has been the delay in providing Canberra families certainty it is because commonwealth officials have not agreed to what we wanted to see in the NP to make sure families did not miss out on or have any disconnect with their existing provision of 15 hours of free preschool in government preschools.
Where does this problem lie? It lies with the federal government. So I am glad that you have shared with us the community’s frustration. I just hope that you have been knocking on your mates’ doors up on the hill sharing—
Ms Lawder: On a point of order.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Resume your seat, Ms Burch. Point of order, Ms Lawder.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, I am considering a point of order.
Ms Lawder: Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of relevance, Ms Burch appears to be rebutting some things that Mr Doszpot may have said rather than the amendment that has been circulated in my name.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just address the amendment, please.
MS BURCH: Thank you, Madam Speaker. In talking to the amendment, though, Mr Doszpot did bring in words around preschool that are not in the amendment. So I was just responding to a matter of information that he brought into this chamber. I will go to Ms Lawder’s amendment and—
Ms Lawder: On a point of order.
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