Mr BURKE on behalf of Mr SPEAKER - 1995-03-01
Mr Speaker, I ask the following question on your behalf. Can the minister respond to claims by the shadow minister for education and training that the government is deceiving the parents of students at Berry Springs Primary School?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a matter in which you have taken a great deal of interest. In fact, over the last couple of years, you have lobbied very strongly for the formal completion of stage 2 of Berry Springs Primary School. I was disappointed and even a little amused by the extremely naive press release issued by the member for Nhulunbuy as shadow spokesman. Not only was he naive, but also very irresponsible. This is how the Labor Party would run government. In the first instance, he had had representations from an ALP political activist. One would have thought he would have acted a little cautiously. When people bring party politics into the school environment, problems arise. I visit over 100 schools every year and rarely do I encounter teachers or school council people playing partisan political games in the school environment. There is no place for it whatsoever.
The honourable member suggested that somehow we were reneging on a promise to Berry Springs Primary School because I would not grant permission for it to be extended 2 and a half times more than had been agreed. That approach is based on an erroneous ...
Mr Ede: Election promise.
Mr FINCH: No. It is based on an erroneous estimate. The election promise had been more than met, and I will come to that in a minute.
Mr Stirling: This is like the lift at Nhulunbuy Primary School and the Nightcliff local police office.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Thank goodness Territory teachers do not have to put up with the type of nonsense from their students that we have from members opposite! There would be no educational progress if they had students like members opposite.
Let me tell members what the member for Nhulunbuy is advocating. Because these people believe the estimate was wrong in the first place, they claim that, instead of $1.8m, Berry Springs Primary School should receive an extra $2.5m-worth of work over and above the 4 modules it lobbied for, and a few other facilities. There is a Labor activist who whinges in the member for Nhulunbuy's ear. These people did not approach myself as minister, nor did
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they approach you, Mr Speaker, as their local member. I am not even certain they had the support of their own council.
The irony is that, some weeks before the honourable member issued his press release castigating government and myself, the department had written to the school explaining that, as minister, I agreed to an amenity 10% greater in size than that originally proposed. That was not an ungenerous offer. This allowed additional space for computers, a janitor's room and gardening stores - items over and above the actual entitlement. The school at Batchelor had become involved in its project and achieved a 30% increase in size. We stated that Berry Springs Primary School would have a similar opportunity if it became involved in the project. Batchelor Primary School obtained design help, voluntary site supervision, donated materials and labour by parents. It achieved 3 times the landscaping paid for by the government. The opportunity is there for Berry Springs Primary School to do much better. I am sure the school committee would support such an effort because it is a very active committee.
What it does not need is silly partisan political games being played in the school grounds. It wanted an increase from the original brief of 573 m2 to 1364 m2 - 2 and a half times the original area. It wanted a school hall of 540 m2 as opposed to the usual allocation of 150 m2. It wanted 4 wet areas - almost 5 times the average size. It wanted teacher areas 3 times as large as the standard areas. The extra work would cost $2.5m. What would the Labor Party do in response to a partisan political representation? In his press release, the member for Nhulunbuy said quite clearly that an ALP government would agree to it. It would take the $2.5m from Nhulunbuy Primary, Parap Primary, Katherine High School and other schools around the Northern Territory, including Aboriginal schools in the bush and it would give it to that school because it was the ALP activist ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Bailey: $120m on this building. Get your facts and figures right.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Thank goodness the member for Wanguri is out of the school system. Quite clearly, the ALPhas a different idea about how to run government to our own. We have been generous ...
Mr Stirling: We would meet our commitments. That is the difference. If we made a promise, it would be kept.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have been particularly lenient with both the member for Nhulunbuy and the member for Wanguri. If there is any further outburst from either member, that member will be named.
Mr FINCH: Mr Speaker, the government made a commitment to provide stage 2 of Berry Springs Primary School with a certain level of amenity - 4 new classrooms. That commitment will be met, plus at least 10%. If the school participates in the devolutionary process, becomes involved and makes savings, it could achieve probably either an increase of 30% or money in the bank. Not only have we been generous, we have met the specific
Page 471
allocation. As I understand it, the stage 2 project, with the 10% increase - would you believe it? - will cost probably $1.8m.
Page 472
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a matter in which you have taken a great deal of interest. In fact, over the last couple of years, you have lobbied very strongly for the formal completion of stage 2 of Berry Springs Primary School. I was disappointed and even a little amused by the extremely naive press release issued by the member for Nhulunbuy as shadow spokesman. Not only was he naive, but also very irresponsible. This is how the Labor Party would run government. In the first instance, he had had representations from an ALP political activist. One would have thought he would have acted a little cautiously. When people bring party politics into the school environment, problems arise. I visit over 100 schools every year and rarely do I encounter teachers or school council people playing partisan political games in the school environment. There is no place for it whatsoever.
The honourable member suggested that somehow we were reneging on a promise to Berry Springs Primary School because I would not grant permission for it to be extended 2 and a half times more than had been agreed. That approach is based on an erroneous ...
Mr Ede: Election promise.
Mr FINCH: No. It is based on an erroneous estimate. The election promise had been more than met, and I will come to that in a minute.
Mr Stirling: This is like the lift at Nhulunbuy Primary School and the Nightcliff local police office.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Thank goodness Territory teachers do not have to put up with the type of nonsense from their students that we have from members opposite! There would be no educational progress if they had students like members opposite.
Let me tell members what the member for Nhulunbuy is advocating. Because these people believe the estimate was wrong in the first place, they claim that, instead of $1.8m, Berry Springs Primary School should receive an extra $2.5m-worth of work over and above the 4 modules it lobbied for, and a few other facilities. There is a Labor activist who whinges in the member for Nhulunbuy's ear. These people did not approach myself as minister, nor did
Page 470
they approach you, Mr Speaker, as their local member. I am not even certain they had the support of their own council.
The irony is that, some weeks before the honourable member issued his press release castigating government and myself, the department had written to the school explaining that, as minister, I agreed to an amenity 10% greater in size than that originally proposed. That was not an ungenerous offer. This allowed additional space for computers, a janitor's room and gardening stores - items over and above the actual entitlement. The school at Batchelor had become involved in its project and achieved a 30% increase in size. We stated that Berry Springs Primary School would have a similar opportunity if it became involved in the project. Batchelor Primary School obtained design help, voluntary site supervision, donated materials and labour by parents. It achieved 3 times the landscaping paid for by the government. The opportunity is there for Berry Springs Primary School to do much better. I am sure the school committee would support such an effort because it is a very active committee.
What it does not need is silly partisan political games being played in the school grounds. It wanted an increase from the original brief of 573 m2 to 1364 m2 - 2 and a half times the original area. It wanted a school hall of 540 m2 as opposed to the usual allocation of 150 m2. It wanted 4 wet areas - almost 5 times the average size. It wanted teacher areas 3 times as large as the standard areas. The extra work would cost $2.5m. What would the Labor Party do in response to a partisan political representation? In his press release, the member for Nhulunbuy said quite clearly that an ALP government would agree to it. It would take the $2.5m from Nhulunbuy Primary, Parap Primary, Katherine High School and other schools around the Northern Territory, including Aboriginal schools in the bush and it would give it to that school because it was the ALP activist ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Bailey: $120m on this building. Get your facts and figures right.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Thank goodness the member for Wanguri is out of the school system. Quite clearly, the ALPhas a different idea about how to run government to our own. We have been generous ...
Mr Stirling: We would meet our commitments. That is the difference. If we made a promise, it would be kept.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have been particularly lenient with both the member for Nhulunbuy and the member for Wanguri. If there is any further outburst from either member, that member will be named.
Mr FINCH: Mr Speaker, the government made a commitment to provide stage 2 of Berry Springs Primary School with a certain level of amenity - 4 new classrooms. That commitment will be met, plus at least 10%. If the school participates in the devolutionary process, becomes involved and makes savings, it could achieve probably either an increase of 30% or money in the bank. Not only have we been generous, we have met the specific
Page 471
allocation. As I understand it, the stage 2 project, with the 10% increase - would you believe it? - will cost probably $1.8m.
Page 472
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016