Page 627 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 23 March 1993
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Laboratory Assistants - Industrial Dispute
MR CORNWELL: My question is also about the school laboratory assistants dispute, Mr Wood. I was interested to hear your answer. This first arose, Madam Speaker, in September this year in the Assembly.
Mr Wood: Last year.
MR CORNWELL: Last year, I am sorry. Thank you. It is now the eighth week of the 10-week first term of 1993. Why has the Government allowed this dispute to go on for so long? Secondly, did it have any deleterious effect upon students' science results in 1992?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I am not aware that it had any deleterious effects last year. The ban was on and off again over a period towards the end of last year and it was only reimposed again this year. That is my memory of events. I am advised that there were no effects last year. Obviously, it is starting to impose difficulties this year because school has been under way for a long time. The department, under the guidance of the Government, has been working very hard to settle the issue. We have been going through the processes. We have made a number of offers. It is simply the case that they have not been accepted by the union and the demands that the union makes are not such that we can accept them. I repeat what I said before; that we must look at the students. They are the ones who are now in a more difficult situation, and I ask the union, at least in this next week, to lift the bans so that the process can be followed.
MR CORNWELL: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. What steps will the Government take to compensate students for missing full tuition in accredited science courses, effectively, for term 1 of 1993?
MR WOOD: There are steps under way between the Board of Senior Secondary Studies, the department and schools to ensure that students are not disadvantaged in this dispute. We will work that through. It is the case that students are missing important work. Teachers are endeavouring to compensate for that as far as possible, but it is the case that students do miss. They will not be disadvantaged. It will be allowed for in all their assessments, but the ultimate factor remains that the union must, as we do, consider the interests of the students.
Yurrambannaylinga Children's Service
MR STEVENSON: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services, Terry Connolly. Is an organisation called Yurrambannaylinga Children's Service a tenant of premises at Collett Place, Pearce, which are known as the Pearce Community Centre and administered by the ACT Department of Urban Services? If so, would the Minister please advise the length of the tenancy and the weekly or monthly rental due under the tenancy agreement? Also, what is the total rent received, and is the rent in arrears? If so, what has been done to collect moneys due? As a small supplementary question, will the 30 phone books in the basement be recycled or thrown out with the rubbish today?
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