Page 652 - Week 02 - Thursday, 18 February 2016
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Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee
Report 4
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.32): I present the following report:
Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee—Report 4—Report on Annual and Financial Reports 2014-2015, dated 18 February 2016, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.
I move:
That the report be noted.
I stand to deliver and speak on this committee report with mixed feelings. Obviously I am sad that this part of my life is at an end. However, it is with regret that I must say the last fortnight or so has been like no other time that I remember as far as committees go. At one time, which Mr Smyth and Mr Gentleman may remember, there was a bit of a shock to the system, but I had forgotten about that until I went to write this. Maybe Mr Smyth has forgotten about it as well, which is good. I understand that change and transition are hard and that some members would prefer that certain changes had not happened.
However, I urge members to take a more restorative approach than the one some are currently employing. As a parliamentarian, I have always tried to act in a bipartisan way on my committees because I take the committee system very seriously. It is an important part of our democracy. I understand that politics play a huge part in everything we do here. However, I want us all to remember that if we do not treat each other as colleagues on committees but turn them into partisan battle grounds, the people who come before us or write submissions to us are the losers and ultimately, when this happens, good government and the people of the ACT also lose out.
I will not say much about the committee’s report on the annual report. As members now have it before them they can read the recommendations, and I commend it to members. I thank all the committee members. It has been a difficult little while and I know that we were all trying our very best to get through this. I thank them very much for working with me to get to this point of being able to table this report. I thank committee members past and present, because we obviously have had some changes. I thank my secretary, Andrew Snedden, and the committee office. I also thank the minister and the officials who appeared before the committee.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Report 5
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.35): I present the following report:
Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee—Report 5—Inquiry into Vocational Education and Youth Training in the ACT—Interim
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