Page 1847 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 May 2010

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Most of the relevant comments have already been made by the previous speakers, so I will not take up more time, except to say that the budget is a very important process, and a very important part of the process is the estimates committee and the scrutiny that that brings. Answering questions is a very important part of that. I commend this motion to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative, with the concurrence of an absolute majority.

Privileges—Select Committee

Reporting date

MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (10.45): I move:

That the resolution of the Assembly of 23 February 2010, which established a Select Committee on Privileges, be amended by the addition of a paragraph 2A as follows:

“(2A) if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee has completed its inquiry, the Committee may send its report to the Speaker, or in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing, circulation and publication;”.

I will speak briefly to this to explain the reason behind this amendment. The committee had a public hearing a couple of weeks ago. The committee is very close to reporting on the matter. This amendment is to allow for the report to be, as it says, sent to the Speaker. The next sitting is not until June, and we thought it was best to be able to provide a resolution to the matter before that and not wait another month before we can provide advice to Mr Sullivan on the outcome of the committee before that June sitting date, and we are close to doing that.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee

Report 3

MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (10.46): I present the following report:

Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee—Report 3—Inquiry into the Educational Achievement Gap in the ACT, dated 14 April 2010, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.

I move:

That the report be noted.

I will speak on this report and some of its recommendations and findings. The Greens were pleased to see this inquiry go ahead. It is an issue which has arisen in a number of public forums over recent years. In 2008, during the Sixth Assembly, Dr Deb Foskey MLA raised with the Minister for Education and Training concerns


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