Page 628 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 February 2020

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incorporates the road rules knowledge test. The pre-learner course is provided by most ACT schools free of charge as part of the year 10 curriculum and is also available from various approved providers within the ACT, including a number of community organisations. This enables the course to be provided at a variety of levels to suit all individual circumstances.

The pre-learner course includes four attempts at the road rules knowledge test. This means that many people are doing the road rules knowledge test and getting their licence in the ACT for a cost of $48. For the sake of completeness, as that is what I prefer to do, I note that the cost of the pre-learner course in the ACT varies, and it can cost up to $180. However, approximately 40 per cent of all learner licences issued each year are issued to people who have completed the pre-learner course at school, meaning their licence cost is $48.

Comparatively, in New South Wales the learner licence fee is $25. However, there is also a $47 charge for each attempt at the driver knowledge test, which means it is at least $72 to get a learner licence in New South Wales, 50 per cent more than the minimum cost in the ACT. As a further comparison, in Queensland the learner licence issue fee is $175.80 for three years, plus $25.30 per attempt for a written road rules knowledge test, or $25.30 for 12 months access to an online program, which means it is at least $201.10 in Queensland, more than four times the minimum cost in the ACT.

Land—sales

Sport—swimming pools

Education—2020 school year preparation

MS BERRY: To correct the record with regard to blocks for sale in Throsby, I said there were 60. There are in fact 58. Land valuations are determined independently of the SLA applying the valuation standards.

I had a question with regard to the maintenance budget for schools in the ACT and how much was specifically allocated to the Olympic pool. In 2019-20 the repairs and maintenance budget totalled $1,281,249. This was for the six pools under the remit of the ACT Property Group, including the Stromlo Leisure Centre, currently under construction.

There is also a pool improvement budget allocation of $800,000 for capital works, which this year was used for capital works at Manuka Pool. This financial year to date, $253,064 has been utilised at the Canberra Olympic Pool for reactive maintenance and capital works. Funds are allocated to each pool on an as-required basis. Maintenance at the pools associated with the structure is a shared arrangement between the operator and the ACT government. The figures that are quoted here are specifically what the ACT government funded.

With regard to the book box, the street library in Moncrieff, the expenditure associated with the community book box in Moncrieff was attributed to a range of costs, including materials, construction and installation, and the delivery of a cultural community event to launch and activate the asset. I can provide a breakdown for the


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