Mr TOYNE - 1998-04-29
Yesterday's budget cut nearly $13.5m in capital expenditure from the education budget. It contained no new initiatives for information technology, students with special needs or literacy and numeracy programs. In fact, some of those areas were cut. Was the minister 'done' in the budget session at Seven Spirit Bay, or is he just an incompetent
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education minister?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I first place on record that I am appreciative of all the members on this side who lobbied me quite strenuously throughout the budget process to ensure that education in the Northern Territory obtained the best possible deal. Individual members were quite vigorous in promoting the interests of their own electorates. I place on record that, during this entire process, the one person from whom we never heard was the opposition spokesperson on education. I would have welcomed input from the member for Stuart.
The member claims that there is a decrease in capital expenditure. The decrease that he talks about is the expenditure for the 3 brand-new primary schools that we built last year.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ADAMSON: The bulk of the money that we are talking about here involves 3 major new primary schools and 2 other, smaller primary schools. Thus, this particular ...
Ms Martin: Less than half.
Mr ADAMSON: It is not less than half. Those 3 schools involved allup a 10-figure sum. If the member for Fannie Bay wishes to go back to school and redo arithmetic ...
Ms Martin: What is 10 figures?
Mr ADAMSON: A double digit, as in $10m-plus. A 10-figure number, or 7 figures when talking in millions.
The education budget has been maintained. In real terms, it has increased by 3.3% ...
Mr Toyne: That is utter nonsense. I will be talking to you about this in the appropriation debate.
Mr ADAMSON: It would be nice if you would speak to us. I can only place on record again that I welcome input from the member for Stuart at any stage. Until now, he has not bothered to do that. I would expect his experience in the bush and the fact that he is the opposition spokesperson on education to lead him occasionally to make some input to the process. He has not done that so far and I find that quite disappointing.
Madam SPEAKER: We are back to the member for Greatorex, whose question was not answered.
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education minister?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I first place on record that I am appreciative of all the members on this side who lobbied me quite strenuously throughout the budget process to ensure that education in the Northern Territory obtained the best possible deal. Individual members were quite vigorous in promoting the interests of their own electorates. I place on record that, during this entire process, the one person from whom we never heard was the opposition spokesperson on education. I would have welcomed input from the member for Stuart.
The member claims that there is a decrease in capital expenditure. The decrease that he talks about is the expenditure for the 3 brand-new primary schools that we built last year.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ADAMSON: The bulk of the money that we are talking about here involves 3 major new primary schools and 2 other, smaller primary schools. Thus, this particular ...
Ms Martin: Less than half.
Mr ADAMSON: It is not less than half. Those 3 schools involved allup a 10-figure sum. If the member for Fannie Bay wishes to go back to school and redo arithmetic ...
Ms Martin: What is 10 figures?
Mr ADAMSON: A double digit, as in $10m-plus. A 10-figure number, or 7 figures when talking in millions.
The education budget has been maintained. In real terms, it has increased by 3.3% ...
Mr Toyne: That is utter nonsense. I will be talking to you about this in the appropriation debate.
Mr ADAMSON: It would be nice if you would speak to us. I can only place on record again that I welcome input from the member for Stuart at any stage. Until now, he has not bothered to do that. I would expect his experience in the bush and the fact that he is the opposition spokesperson on education to lead him occasionally to make some input to the process. He has not done that so far and I find that quite disappointing.
Madam SPEAKER: We are back to the member for Greatorex, whose question was not answered.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016