Page 1865 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 7 June 2006
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Ms Gallagher: She is telling me I am lying. I withdraw the word “lying”, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I think Mrs Dunne should do the same thing. I am happy to withdraw it.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne is talking about a government lie. I would rule that you were taking a personal approach in labelling somebody a liar. Your request is refused.
Ms Gallagher: Mr Deputy Speaker, I will check the Hansard, but I am sure I heard “the minister lie” in some of her comments. I will check the Hansard and come back to you.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: I would be prepared to revisit that. I did not hear that. If you wish to check that, I will make another ruling.
MRS DUNNE: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I was actually saying that there was a lie told to the community and this government perpetuated that lie. The minister did not take any steps to put an end to that lie. All she does now is say, “The policy does not say anything like that.” That is true, but her spokesman—and I have a fair idea who it was—told the Canberra Times something that was not true. She never corrected the record, and neither did any of her colleagues.
This is about whether or not you can trust these people. We know that you cannot trust the Labor Party when it comes to school closures. The Education Amendment Bill 2005 and its circulated amendments ensure some checks and balances when you cannot trust them.
Mr Barr’s bill, which he brought in hastily yesterday—and it becomes an urgent budget bill because, for goodness sake, we could not possibly have something as sensible as that proposed by the Liberal opposition actually getting up, something which is supported by the community actually getting up—is a Clayton’s consultation. It will be consultation that Mr Barr himself describes as consultation. It will not be consultation that allows the community to freely express their views. It will not be consultation that allows the community to put forward alternatives, as they did with Ginninderra district high, and have those alternatives listened to and supported where they make sense.
There is a question that I put on the record here today. At some stage I want the minister to answer this question directly. I know he cannot in this debate because he has already spoken. This is a question that has been asked of me by the Parents and Citizens Association, and I put it on the record. If school bodies reject any of the proposals in this paper, will the government listen to them and take their views into account? If they put forward an alternative proposal to the one in this, will the government listen to them and take it into account or will they just listen very nicely and go off and do precisely what they want?
Question put:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
The Assembly voted—
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