Page 162 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2008
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It is worth noting again that, although the opposition’s spokesperson on education has changed, we are still to hear from the new opposition spokesperson about whether he believes that the government’s investment in public education is throwing good money after bad. The previous education spokesperson was at pains, throughout 2006 and 2007, to say that the government’s investment in improving the infrastructure of our schools, improving the environmental performance of our schools, building new schools, raising the standards and the environmental performance, and reducing the carbon footprints that our schools have, was throwing good money after bad. So the challenge for the new opposition leader is to do better than to borrow from Savage Garden lyrics for his inaugural speech, to do better than to give an affirmation, and to demonstrate a change of position from a Liberal opposition in relation to investment in public education—an investment that will improve the environmental sustainability of our schools.
MR SPEAKER: Is there a supplementary question?
DR FOSKEY: Thanks, Mr Speaker. How is the government intending to bring in the remaining 56 ACT schools, out of 144, which are not already involved in the sustainable schools initiative?
MR BARR: I thank Dr Foskey. She may be aware that we held a major launch of the initiative and provided kits for each school. They are available for those schools that have not already taken up the program. The government is providing significant funding, so my expectation is that schools will be eager to access that funding. There is a clear incentive for schools to become involved in the program.
Mr Pratt: They’ll grab whatever they can before you close them down.
MR BARR: There is money available at both the commonwealth and territory level for initiatives to improve the sustainability of schools.
Mr Pratt: Isn’t it blood money—taking it from the ruins of closed schools?
MR BARR: It would be incumbent upon individual schools to take advantage of this.
Mr Pratt: It’s blood money.
MR BARR: I remind the Assembly that we have within the ACT—
Mr Pratt: You’ve got blood on your hands.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Pratt! Cease interjecting.
MR BARR: We have within the ACT a system of school-based management, and decisions around involvement in these sorts of programs are made at a school board level. Catholic systemic schools will make a systemic decision, but all of the independent schools will make their own decisions. We encourage all schools to participate. There is money available; schools would be crazy not to take advantage of it. In responding to Dr Foskey, we did make available an individual kit for schools.
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