Page 2215 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016

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MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Jeffery.

MR JEFFERY: Minister, why did the Greens abandon their support for Hall and Tharwa schools?

MR RATTENBURY: Madam Speaker, you know that question is out of order.

Members interjecting—

MADAM SPEAKER: He is the Minister for Education now and he happens to be a Greens member. I do not see that there is any problem with the question. Mr Jeffery, could you repeat the question and then I will call Mr Rattenbury?

MR JEFFERY: Why did the Greens abandon their support for Hall and Tharwa schools?

MR RATTENBURY: The Greens did not abandon our support. Again this is before my time.

Mr Coe: No, it was 2009.

MR RATTENBURY: I am sorry, Mr Coe is right. The Greens have continued to advocate for the rural villages of the ACT on many fronts and will continue to do so. In fact, we have had volunteers visiting those areas of Canberra in recent times.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.

MR DOSZPOT: Why do we have a situation now where many schools are stretched to the limit, minister, while nearby schools are empty?

MR RATTENBURY: Mr Doszpot’s motion on this very matter will come up just after question time today and I look forward to having that conversation again then. All that I want to say in that debate, if I am not foreshadowing a matter that is due to come up later, if it is not in breach of the standing orders—

MADAM SPEAKER: No, it is not in breach of the standing orders, otherwise I would have ruled the question out of order. So feel free to answer the question, Mr Rattenbury.

MR RATTENBURY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will outline to Mr Doszpot and the rest of the chamber at that time that I have already given a full explanation of how the government is dealing with capacity pressures in our schools. I have been quite open about the fact that there are a range of capacity pressures in a few of our schools. We also have some schools that are significantly under capacity and they also have enrolment management plans in place seeking to make sure that those schools also remain viable.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.


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