Page 3388 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 17 August 2010
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delivery of further programs into our schools—most particularly, the rollout of further computers to our schools. As part of the national agreement, we are working towards the achievement of a one-to-one ratio of computers to students in years 9 to 12 by the end of 2011. The 2009 national partnership agreement incorporates the remaining funds for the purchase of computers to achieve the desired ratio, and a contribution towards replacing round 1 computers in the fifth year of the program. Importantly, funding has been set aside to provide improved ICT access for students with a disability, including software and adaptive technologies.
Mr Speaker, against what you would have to describe as some pretty appalling politically driven charges of waste that have proved not to be accurate in the context of the territory, we are rolling out these programs in a financially prudent way. For example, the government has chosen the HP 5102 netbook for general deployment. I see that members are familiar with products that are very similar. We have done so because we found it to be the best value for money and it delivers the best specifications in responding to student needs.
MR HARGREAVES: A supplementary, Mr Speaker?
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hargreaves.
MR HARGREAVES: On behalf of Mr Doszpot, the shadow minister for education, I would like to ask this supplementary: can the minister advise of any risks to the ICT project being delivered in ACT schools?
MR BARR: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. There is indeed a significant risk to the completion of this important program for ACT schools, government and non-government. Given the significant investment over the last four years in establishing the broadband network, the partnership with the federal government to deliver computers into schools, what is most distressing is the desire of a lowlife who leads the federal Liberal Party to pull the plug on the successful completion of these programs.
We have already seen 6½ thousand computers delivered as part of this program by the federal government onto the desks of ACT students in public schools. But if Mr Abbott is elected on the weekend, 2½ thousand ACT students will miss out on the completion of this program. In public schools 2½ thousand students will miss out. In the non-government sector, the program is, of course, at a similar stage of rollout. It will not be just students in ACT public schools who will miss out on the completion of the program, it will also be students in non-government schools.
It is fascinating to hear or not to hear from someone whom I believe to be a bit of a tech head, the shadow minister for education, who apparently is not concerned at all that this program would not be completed and is apparently not concerned at all that a large number of ACT students, in the thousands, in government and non-government schools, will miss out on the completion of this program. What we would call for today is for the shadow minister for education to put on the record his position on this matter.
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