Page 3642 - Week 12 - Thursday, 13 October 1994
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MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Humphries, you are not seriously suggesting that the Government may never speak about the Opposition. Seriously, Mr Humphries!
Mr Humphries: No, Madam Speaker. I am suggesting that he should answer the questions that have been asked of him. Mr Wood was asked a question about Government policy on schools.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Humphries. Mr Wood, please answer the question that you were asked.
MR WOOD: Thank you; I will, because this question of sponsorship is a critical one. The words that Mrs Carnell has used in this article, as in a speech she gave a little while ago - - -
Mr Humphries: Madam Speaker - - -
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Humphries, he is answering the question. Mr Wood, continue.
Mr Humphries: With great respect, Madam Speaker, he is not. He was asked a question about Government policy. Does Ms Ellis wish to repeat the question? I did not hear anything at all about Carnell or Liberal in that question.
MADAM SPEAKER: Please continue, Mr Wood.
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I am putting the question of sponsorship and what the Government's policy is in the proper context. If Mr Humphries does not want to know about it, I suggest that he can walk out of the room once again. I was mentioning that word "corporate". The word I have used in respect of sponsorship has been "commercial" sponsorship - that is, non-government. The word that Mrs Carnell has used twice is "corporate". It is a very significant choice of words because it fits in with this whole attitude towards schools that she has. It is a deliberate focus on beating, on corporate, on business; and it is the business approach that she seems to be pushing. This is disconcerting because at the same time, in her speech to a professional body, she said the fact is that savings have to be made.
What the Liberal vision is for schools in the ACT becomes quite clear. It is squeeze the schools; squeeze them hard; per capita funding. That is the measure. By way of per capita funding, squeeze those schools; establish cutthroat competition - a favourite word of Mrs Carnell's. Yesterday, as I pointed out, the message was, "Go and chase students, go and get those students", in this competitive way; but it is more than that. It is, "Go and chase the dollar too; go and chase the corporate dollar for your schools, because we are going to squeeze you".
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