Page 4152 - Week 11 - Thursday, 17 Sept 2009
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little enthusiasm by those opposite. I think I was told, “No, but the truth is somewhere in between; it cannot be those good stories.”
I acknowledge, though, how disappointing it must have been for members of the opposition parties when they got out there on the ground and the stories they heard were overwhelmingly positive. It must have been very inconvenient. The scribbling in the notebooks could be nothing but positive praise.
But then this inquiry was never about the facts; it was always about looking to the past, scraping up old news and having a statement at the end of this day. They pre-empted it. Their outcome was predictable from what they articulated all the way through.
It is disappointing that this report does not encompass the positive stories that the committee heard when they were out there. I will not let the great efforts of so many of the teachers and staff at schools go unrecognised, so I make the following recommendation:
That the Legislative Assembly commend the Department of Education, school principals, teachers, and all those involved in assisting students with the transition to their new schools for their excellent efforts in ensuring that the wellbeing of each individual student was treated with paramount importance.
Whilst Ms Bresnan was correct—it did not go to the committee—I have now articulated it here. I call on members of the Assembly to comment on that recommendation. Will they indeed commend the efforts by those who assisted students moving in or are they willing to dismiss that? I call on members to show their hand on that. I would be very interested to know.
The other comment Ms Bresnan went to was this. I think her microphone may not be working 100 per cent; maybe that is why she was in a new position. There was some commentary around committee deliberation. I too shared those thoughts at one point—up until the last sitting, when a member of the opposition shared with the Assembly the deliberations of the committee. I did check with the powers that be to see if that was a reasonable thing to do. I was told that was fine and reasonable and that, once a committee is closed, deliberations—
Members interjecting—
MS BURCH: Mrs Dunne knows very well that she shared deliberations of the committee outside the committee room. There was some chortle and humour from the other side. The opposition have let that rabbit out of the bag, and they continue to do that.
Finally, let me say that this report endorses Towards 2020, and the school community and the broader Canberra community say we got it right. Twenty-three schools closed; two are in the report to reopen. That is an overwhelming success for Towards 2020.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (11.03): Before I comment on the report, I must refer to the comments that have been made by the other members of the committee. Firstly,
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