Page 204 - Week 01 - Thursday, 15 February 1990
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I would remind the Federal Minister that this Assembly was democratically elected by the Territory community in 1989 to bring self-government to the people of the ACT. This Government and this Assembly are not willing to act merely as an advisory council to the Federal Government and I do ask and hope that the Federal Minister will reconsider his position.
TAFE Courses
MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, I have another question on education, but to the Chief Minister in his capacity as the Minister responsible for TAFE. Could Mr Kaine tell the Assembly, and particularly students concerned, why classes in interior design - and numbers of other classes I might mention - which have been funded in the current year's budget, included in the handbook, advertised in the newspaper and filled with ample enrolments, have now been cancelled? Why have teachers been removed when you, Mr Kaine, promised that no people in the ACT Government's employment would lose their positions?
MR KAINE: I suspect that Mr Wood's question contains, by implication, a couple of bases which are built on sand. The first is that they were funded in the budget, and I cannot answer that. You should ask the person who was the Treasurer at the time.
Ms Follett: They were.
MR KAINE: And the second is that there were ample enrolments, as I understand it, in August last year.
Mr Berry: You cannot keep blaming us.
MR KAINE: In August last year as part of the budgetary considerations of the Government that you were a part of and in which Ms Follett was the Treasurer, there were discussions with the TAFE about what their level of budgetary provision was to be. A reduction was imposed by your Government, by your Treasurer, on the budget of the TAFE. There was a reduction made in it.
MR WOOD: Understood.
MR KAINE: In consequence of those budgetary cuts, certain savings and offsetting savings were to be made. Now, as I understand it, the administration of the TAFE has implemented the directives that they were given by your Government, your Treasurer and your present deputy Leader who was responsible for TAFE - - -
Mr Whalan: That is false; you have made a false statement.
Mr Wood: No, that is not correct.
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