Page 2743 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 14 August 1990
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MS FOLLETT: I have a supplementary question. Mr Humphries, in view of your failure to provide figures on school closures - and it has been a consistent and repeated failure - and your failure today to address the detail that has been provided, I would ask: will you undertake an urgent and independent inquiry into the costs and savings arising from school closures?
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Acting Speaker, the answer is no, I will not. I am not satisfied that anything would be gained by further inquiry into this matter. The answer to that question is based very clearly on the work that the Government has already done in this respect. If we had not so carefully and extensively - - -
Mr Wood: What work?
MR HUMPHRIES: If Mr Wood would be patient I will explain to him what work I am referring to. The Government has already done extensive work in this area. A month or so ago it published - and I am sure Mr Wood has a copy of this document, just as he is sure I have a copy of Dr Perkins' document - a copy of the document which was obtained at the expense of some $12,000 in consultants' fees. It was carefully and thoroughly produced and it systematically refutes the costings and savings estimates made by Dr Perkins.
Mr Wood: It does not, actually.
MR HUMPHRIES: It systematically does so. I believe it does.
Mr Wood: It is not always in agreement, but there are points of agreement.
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Order, Mr Wood! Let him finish. He is answering the question, not you.
MR HUMPHRIES: I believe it systematically refutes the assertions made by Dr Perkins. That is a clear indication of a response to Dr Perkins' earlier work. Now, if Dr Perkins wishes to produce more work I would be very happy to consider that, but I am not prepared to commit more public money to refuting claims which I believe have already clearly been discredited.
School Closures in Australia
MRS NOLAN: My question is also to Mr Humphries in his capacity as Minister for Education. Can the Minister inform the Assembly whether the approach taken in the ACT is in accord with the approach taken in other States in relation to the consolidation of schools?
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