Page 127 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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In education, of course, we see some mixed results. We know that, overall, when it is averaged out, we rank very well as opposed to other states and territories. But let us look at some of the figures. The ACT government spends just over $16,000 per student. I think that is combined—$16,000 comes from government for ACT students in government schools, second only to the Northern Territory. Yet, according to the Canberra Times, the My School website has revealed that three-quarters of ACT schools are performing worse than their immediate counterparts in other states. That must be of concern. Minister Barr, in response, said:
It probably does lend some weight … to the theory that many in education have had for some time that some of our best schools have been coasting a little.
What does that mean? Does that mean that the ACT government have been coasting? Who is to blame if our schools have been coasting? This is a failure of leadership. The ACT Labor government have been there for 8½ years while the minister acknowledges that in some areas they have been coasting. Why have they been coasting? Why have they been resting on their laurels? Why have they not been committed to improving education outcomes year by year by year rather than simply coasting and relying on good overall averages? That is the question that perhaps Minister Barr can answer if he wants to speak in this debate. Ultimately, we are paying more and getting less.
We see it in areas such as public housing. The net recurrent cost of providing assistance per dwelling in the ACT is the second highest in the country behind the Northern Territory, at a cost of $7,736 per dwelling, well above the Australian average of $6,366. That is when we exclude the cost of capital. When we include the cost of capital it is $36,672; the Australian average is $26,074. Again, it is well outside the Australian average. We are paying far more—paying more for less.
With respect to emergency services, the Ambulance Service recorded the slowest median response time among capital cities and second slowest in the 90th percentile. And we have seen commentary in relation to that.
We continue to see—and it is reflected in the Productivity Commission report—the issues around the stress for many renters in the ACT in what is such a tight rental market. We know that one of the reasons has been this government’s absolute failure in areas such as planning and areas such as land release. They have simply failed to keep up with demand to the extent that we know that for first home buyers, according to the HIA-Commonwealth Bank report that looks at the effect on first home buyers of the price of housing, the ACT is the most unaffordable jurisdiction.
We come back to where we started, Mr Speaker. The Productivity Commission has blown the whistle on this government’s performance. It has given them a fail for 8½ years of ACT Labor government. In some areas it is well behind New South Wales. So we have got a situation where Canberrans would say: “Where am I after 8½ years? Am I better off or worse off?” If they are waiting for elective surgery, if they are waiting in emergency, if they are trying to access a doctor, if they are waiting in traffic on Gungahlin Drive, if they are trying to buy a home, if they are paying for childcare, things are worse.
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