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MRS CARNELL: Our policy, which will be implemented in the context of the budget, is to tie the amount for the Health Promotion Fund to a percentage of the tobacco franchise fee, which will actually produce a substantial increase in the amount of money available to the Health Promotion Fund, and hopefully later this year or early next year there will be a second round of funding. The first round of funding took into account only the money made available by the previous Government, which had decreased every single year. There was less and less money available for the Health Promotion Fund. We will tie the funding to the tobacco franchise fee, which will give us a substantial increase. Later this year we will also be tabling legislation, as we promised in the election campaign, to make the Health Promotion Fund unit a separate statutory body so that it can actually control the Health Promotion Fund and we can have some forward planning in this important area.

MR MOORE: I ask a supplementary question. Chief Minister, I wonder whether you could make clear whether the increase you talk about in the Health Promotion Fund will take it back to its former highest level in percentage terms or whether you are going to continue it at one of the lower levels that were introduced by the former Government.

MRS CARNELL: The figure that we announced in the election campaign was 5 per cent, Mr Moore, and that is the figure we are still sticking with.

Student Assessment

MS McRAE: My question is addressed to the Minister for Education, Mr Stefaniak. Before I begin my question I want to repeat that we are not interested in talking about a particular school, a particular child or a particular assessment by name other than the one that we have discussed thus far. We are trying to make the Minister understand and to get to the point of why - and this is my question - - -

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, I ask you to rule on whether it is appropriate for a member of the Opposition to lecture the Minister on what his answer has to be before she asks her question.

MR SPEAKER: Order! I think Ms McRae is coming to her question now.

MS McRAE: Minister, my question is this: Would you please explain why you chose to intervene in an objective and proper process of assessment? These Year 12 scores are absolutely vital in a child's life and the public needs to know why, under any circumstances, a Minister has chosen to intervene in an assessment process of one student. Will you explain why you chose to intervene? We know you got advice, but you are the Minister and it is your ministerial responsibility to either accept or reject advice. We want to know why you did not reject the advice. Why did you accept the advice to intervene? It is an extraordinary circumstance and the public needs to be assured that this process is not going to be regularly subverted by the Minister.

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