Page 1164 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 March 1991
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MRS GRASSBY: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, why has the Government decided to give larger loans to fewer people, thus extending the waiting lists on housing?
MR KAINE: First of all, the Government has made no such decision. As I understand it, virtually none of the money allocated for this purpose this year has been used because the parameters are such that nobody qualifies, which is exactly the reason why they have been changed.
English as a Second Language Courses
MS MAHER: My question is addressed to the Minister for Health, Education and the Arts. Taking into consideration the importance of English as a second language courses, can the Minister inform the Assembly whether there are adequate funds for these courses and, if not, can additional funds for ESL be obtained from the Commonwealth?
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I thank Ms Maher for that question because it raises an issue which I have been concerned about for some time. I have had discussions with people, including the chairman of the Ethnic Communities Council, about the issue. An argument for an increase in Commonwealth funding would have to be based, obviously, on the ACT's special situation as the national capital; that is, of course, unless there was some general increase in ESL funding across the country. The consequence of that special argument would, of course, rest on the high enrolment of temporary residents - for example, children of diplomats - who might require that kind of funding assistance. Current arrangements relating to the disbursement of Commonwealth funds preclude any change to the allocation of moneys to individual States or Territories. That means that the Commonwealth would have to allocate funds from other areas in order to do that.
The Commonwealth ESL program is being evaluated by the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training, and information from this study should be available in the middle of this year. The data gathered during the evaluation may be useful in developing a case for increased Commonwealth funding here in the ACT, and I obviously would be very keen to see such a case advanced. Funding for ESL programs in the ACT in 1990 totalled approximately $4.1m, of which $1.2m was provided by the Commonwealth. I certainly share Ms Maher's hope that we can in fact prosecute this matter with the Commonwealth and make a strong and acceptable case for getting better funding.
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