Page 1922 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 May 1991
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The answer to the second part of the question, as to whether I am going to go to the Commonwealth cap in hand, is no. We have been exercising responsible financial management here. We will continue to do so. It is significant, however, that we asked the Commonwealth for about $18m of our own money recently, and we were refused it. Mr Field was given $40m. It will be interesting to see how much these irresponsible people over here support the Prime Minister giving to Mrs Kirner. I will be interested to see whether they have anything to say if the Commonwealth grants the Victorian Government more public money to get themselves out of their jam. I presume that they will think that is okay, which is typical of their approach to public funding.
That is exactly what you would have done, because your solution 18 months ago when you got into government was not to face up to the financial problems that were ahead of us, but to go and ask the Commonwealth for $150m. You were playing the same game that Premier Field dealt with, and that Premier Kirner is now dealing with, and presumably next in line will be Premier Lawrence. I would submit that, if we ever get a Labor government in this town again, No. 4 asking for some more hand-outs will be Premier Follett or Premier Connolly, whichever one gets into the chair next time round.
No, Mr Stefaniak - through you, Mr Speaker - I will not be asking for a hand-out from the Commonwealth. I will be doing that which I have done for 18 months and which I will continue to do for at least another three years, and that is to implement proper financial management of our budget. I will be managing within the amount of money that we are legitimately entitled to from the Commonwealth. I will not be asking for any free hand-outs. I am not going to go on the mendicant lists like the Premier from Tasmania, the Premier from Victoria, and presumably, very shortly, the Premier from Western Australia.
School Fees
MR STEVENSON: My question is to Mr Gary Humphries, and it concerns education. It concerns the extra fees that are charged to the parents of children who attend government controlled schools, such fees being for extra materials that may be used in classes such as needlework, arts, home economics, computers and so on. What is the Government policy in charging these fees? Once a note is sent home with the child about the need for any such fees to be paid, what happens if the parent does not receive the note, forgets to send the money or does not have the money to send, or if for any other reason the fee is not paid? Is the child then prevented from taking part in that particular class, and, if so, by whose authority?
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