Page 2691 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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ran a debate on the UN convention on the rights of the child, followed by a telephone poll. Does Mr Collaery know that 94 per cent of the 5,000 people in Queensland who responded to that poll said no to the question: should Australia sign the UN convention?
MR COLLAERY: I have pleasure in recognising that the ABC producers would well know where their program would be well received - in central Queensland. Certainly, Mr Acting Speaker, the Alliance Government has informed the Commonwealth Government. In fact, on my recommendation the Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister in May, as I recall, informing the Prime Minister that we would support the signature to the treaty by the Federal Government.
Mr Acting Speaker, I have not been dissuaded by receiving petitions in Alice Springs at my hotel door from those people who have the misguided belief that the effect of this convention is to deprive parents of so-called rights. Children are not chattels. They are not part of the proprietary rights of parents. They are in the custodianship of those parents, the guardianship of those parents. Ultimately the state is the protector of their rights. Certainly, Mr Acting Speaker, I am pleased to tell Mr Stevenson that as far as I am concerned the debate on this instrument is over. I also remind Mr Stevenson that the Vatican has acceded to the treaty already.
MR STEVENSON: I have a supplementary question. Is Mr Collaery aware of the fact that the people of Australia and many others involved in law and other areas do not think that the debate is over?
MR COLLAERY: I am certain, Mr Acting Speaker, that the debate will not be over whilst Mr Stevenson is in this Assembly, but I await the day to see how the people of Canberra will next test the issues that he espouses.
Hackett Primary School
MS FOLLETT: My question is to the Minister for Education, Mr Humphries. It refers to the Hackett Primary School, one of those which he proposes to close. I ask Mr Humphries: did all your demographic data show that enrolments in the Hackett Primary School are growing - which is generally in keeping with the regeneration of older suburbs in the ACT - and in view of that growth, why should the Hackett school be closed?
MR HUMPHRIES: First of all, the concept of a school's catchment areas growing in terms of school overpopulation is not a general trend that occurs in all ageing suburbs. It occurs to some extent in some suburbs. It does not occur in every suburb. I reject the assumption underlying - - -
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