Page 514 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 1991

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TAFE Campuses - Consolidation

MR WOOD: I direct a question to Mr Kaine as the Minister responsible for TAFE. I raise a matter of considerable significance in the TAFE sector. Chief Minister, in 1991 what further actions are taking place to consolidate TAFE campuses and what will be the effect of those consolidations on TAFE students?

MR KAINE: I do not recall the specific details of the timing of the consolidation of the TAFE campuses; but there is a program to reduce the campuses down to, I believe, five in the fairly short term, and I think that this year two consolidations will be effected. But I am not sure of that, and I would prefer to be certain of it before I answer that question. I will take that part of the question on notice. In terms of what the impact on students will be, of course, it will mean that some students will have to go to a different campus from the one they currently attend to take the course of their choice. That is a simple fact of consolidation of campuses. I do not know that there will be any student materially or significantly affected by that. The courses will not change; it is just the location of those courses that may change. But I will get a more specific answer as to what consolidations are likely to occur this year.

Petrol - Lead Levels

MR BERRY: My question is directed to Mr Kaine. Mr Kaine, as Minister for the environment, what action are you taking to ensure that lead levels in ACT petrol are reduced from country to urban New South Wales standards?

MR KAINE: We are monitoring this question of the lead levels.

Mr Berry: Still monitoring.

MR KAINE: If you do not want me to answer the question I will sit down, Mr Berry. You throw out these floaters. You think you are going to trap me into saying something that I do not want to say. Well, you will not. The fact is that the area most affected by pollution has been the Civic Centre area. I am told that the percentage of lead in the atmosphere has been reduced by something of the order of 60 per cent in recent years by the use of unleaded fuel and by the introduction by some suppliers of city grade fuel instead of country grade. That is a very significant reduction. The lead levels are way below permissible limits. We are monitoring that. We are encouraging suppliers to eliminate country grade fuel altogether. I think the Government is doing very well. It


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