Page 617 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012

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funding according to their own model, will the ACT government use the Gonski review to increase control over how money given to the Catholic Education Office is used and distributed?

DR BOURKE: I thank the member for his question. The member will, of course, be aware that the key word in the Gonski review is “review”—it is a review. It is not commonwealth policy; it is not ACT policy. Considering where this question is coming from, I do not think we need any more evidence that the ACT Liberals are more than happy to take orders from up on the hill, from Tony Abbott. You just have to list them—

Mrs Dunne: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting—

MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Stop the clocks, thank you. Mrs Dunne on a point of order.

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, if the government wants to talk about federal politics, I am sure we could suspend standing orders, but we are in question time, and the answers should be directly relevant to the questions. The question was about whether the government would use this as a means of increasing control over the Catholic Education Office. You should ask the minister to come to the answer.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, the point of order is upheld. Let us focus on the question at hand, thank you, Dr Bourke.

DR BOURKE: The purpose of the Gonski review, as I said yesterday quite clearly, is to offer us a model of clarity—

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr Hargreaves: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

DR BOURKE: in educational funding—

MR SPEAKER: Order! One moment, Dr Bourke, thank you. Stop the clocks.

Mr Hargreaves: Mr Speaker, I would submit to you that your gracious hospitality is being abused about now. I am having a little bit of difficulty listening to Dr Bourke answer the question, and I think you might like to reiterate your advice around warnings.

Mr Doszpot: Mr Speaker, point of order. I think I need to repeat the question for the minister. I do not think he understands what the question was.

MR SPEAKER: On Mr Hargreaves’s point of order, I invite all members to keep the noise down in the chamber so we can hear the minister. Mr Doszpot, I thank you for your offer. Unless the minister asks to have the question repeated, I think we will


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