Page 2585 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 8 August 1990
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course of action is preferred by the users of that system, we will adhere to that wish as much as possible.
School Closures
MR STEVENSON: My question is addressed to the Minister for Health, Education and the Arts. Yesterday in the house he mentioned that 180 submissions had been received from people after the school closures were announced. Would he be good enough to inform the house how many of those submissions were in agreement and how many were in disagreement with the school closures?
MR HUMPHRIES: Very few schools made submissions to the effect that they agreed with their schools, in particular, closing.
Mr Stevenson: How many?
MR HUMPHRIES: I read most of those submissions, and I cannot recall any making the point that they wanted their particular schools to close. I do not know that many schools said that they did not want to see any schools close, but that is a matter of interpretation, I suppose. My interpretation is that I think a great many people in this Territory realise that having a large number of schools, particularly very small schools, is a luxury that we can no longer afford. I personally think that a lot of people in the Territory accept that the Government's decision, although hard, is one which has had to be made.
In answer to Mr Stevenson's question, a number of school submissions made the point that there should not be any school closures, and all of them made the point, as far as I recall, that their particular schools should not close.
School Closure - Weetangera
MR BERRY: My question is directed to Mr Humphries as the Minister responsible for the closure of schools. What capital and recurrent costs will be incurred as a result of the closure of Weetangera school?
MR HUMPHRIES: I am not so foolish as to fall into the trap that Mr Berry is obviously setting for me. I made it very clear yesterday - Mr Berry finds some difficulty in understanding this because I have to say it several times before it sinks in - - -
Mr Berry: I wasn't here, remember?
MR HUMPHRIES: In fairness, Mr Acting Speaker, he was not here yesterday; he was in the sin bin, so he may not have realised this. He was probably upstairs having a sleep at the time.
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