Page 2332 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 1 November 1989
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1989. Until this process has been completed the department will not be in a position to make final recommendations on the mode of operations of preschools for 1990. The consultative process in 1989 has followed this same sort of pattern. Following a meeting I had with the area preschool advisory group chairpersons in early September of this year, I asked the department to convene a meeting with the advisory group chairpersons to identify appropriate consultative processes related to the possible amalgamation of preschools. This stronger consultative role was due to their function as representatives of community opinion.
This meeting took place on Monday, 11 September 1989, to discuss the implementation of budget proposals affecting preschools. At this meeting a new approach to consultation on the annual review of management of space was agreed to. This was later confirmed in a letter of 27 September from preschool advisory committee groups to the chief education officer.
Under the agreed model an allocation of available resources would be made to each area preschool, and the advisory group chairperson would be appropriately informed. Advisory group chairpersons, in consultation with the area preschool principal and members of the advisory group, would then make recommendations on the distribution of these resources within the area. It was agreed that recommendations relating to the identification of part-time preschools to be amalgamated would be addressed in the consultative process.
Underpinning the decision making process are guidelines which have been used in the ACT for eight years. Under these guidelines two issues are dominant. These are, firstly, enrolment at an individual preschool and, secondly, regional capacity and vacancy rates consistent for eight years. Under the first guideline, if enrolment at any individual preschool falls below 17 that preschool is closed. However, the converse does not necessarily hold; enrolment at an individual preschool being above 17 does not automatically mean that it will stay open.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Minister, your time has expired. The only alternative is for you to suspend standing orders.
Mr Whalan: I will speak to the motion, Mr Speaker.
MR MOORE (4.25): I think we are going to have to be more careful with our times because, by extending the series of times, other people do not get the opportunity to speak. I shall be as brief as I can.
What we have seen after the last few years is what I perceive as a straight attack on the ACT preschool system. What we should be looking at is how we can find ways to expand our preschool system instead of ways of making it smaller; how we can get to more children and perhaps for longer times. These are what we should be looking at, not
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