Page 3941 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 5 December 2007
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Mr Barr came out today with some things that I want to refer to. I want to go back to when this proposal was first put to us. There were four arguments, apparently, for closing the schools, for turning some into P-2, which, I think, in some cases, is going to be a death blow. That certainly was not a response to community demand and community reaction to the downsizing of their school. That extra transition of their kids does look, anecdotally—and I have not seen the figures yet; they are probably not in yet—as though it is leading people to choose the schools that go P-6.
The first thing that Mr Barr says is “cost to taxpayer”. I will read the introduction on the website:
I would like to assure … the community that I did not take any of these decisions—
to close schools—
lightly.
I acknowledge that … change is difficult.
He further said that some Canberrans:
… will be initially disrupted by these changes. I believe that the government is acting in the best interests of our entire community in securing the future of public education in our city.
What is this “entire community”? Is he talking about Canberra taxpayers? In fact, when I really look at this term I find it disappears under my gaze. What is this “entire community”? It is the electorate of Canberra—“the best interests of our entire community”. We will sacrifice some small communities and we will sacrifice local communities for the entire community. We will sacrifice the interests of children, parents and families for the entire community, for the entire community is a concept that is not able to be pinned down. In fact, I would say in this case it does not really exist.
That is the argument about the cost to the taxpayer. But public education is an investment in our city and is really important, and no-one argues more passionately about that than I. But the question is: which idea of public education? For whom?
Mr Barr also cited the demographic issues. They were heavily cited last year in debate. However, I have not heard him mention yet any modelling he has done on the age group new-born to four-year-olds. The demographics in this city are changing. There is no doubt about it.
The Chifley people showed that last year with the work which they had to do. The Flynn community did it too. They went out and got the figures on how many people there were with young children and, incidentally, how many people with young children and families had moved to that suburb to be near a school. By closing schools, we will change the demographics of our suburbs. There is no doubt about that.
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