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Photographing of Proceedings Questions PHOTOGRAPHING OF PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 14 March 1991 ASSEMBLY 227 Thursday, 14 March 1991 The SPEAKER (Hon. Ken Coghill) took the chair at 10.35 a.m. and read the prayer. PHOTOGRAPHING OF PROCEEDINGS The SPEAKER - Order! I advise the House that I have approved a request by the Sunday Age newspaper to take still photographs of question time today. No additional lighting or flashlights will be used. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE PRIVATISATION OF ASSETS Mr BROWN (Leader of the Opposition) - I refer the Minister for Finance to his statement last night that the privatisation of assets such as the State Electricity Commission, essential services, education and health was not in the best interests of the community. How does he reconcile that statement with the statement of the Premier this morning that the government is still examining the sale of the Loy Yang B power station? Mr A. J. SHEEHAN (Minister for Finance) - I did not notice the Leader of the Opposition at the meeting last night; however, it was well attended. I addressed the meeting on the issue of privatisation. It is no secret that privatisation is an important issue for Victoria and what I said at the meeting was that there is a very strong case for public ownership of essential utilities and services and that the government - and this is an internal party discussion - had to be very clear in its reasons for wishing to have public ownership. The government has to be clear on the outcomes it wants and the reasons for retaining public ownership and it has to know what it wants to retain and why. There is also a clear need to attract as much private investment into public infrastructure as possible in a way which is compatible with public ownership. That statement is quite consistent with the position of the government which is committed to public ownership of the major utilities and essential services. That is where the government is at odds with the opposition, which would sell anything or chop anything down. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 228 ASSEMBLY Thursday, 14 March 1991 Members of the Labor Party and the Australian community have a strong commitment to public ownership of essential services and major public utilities. However, within that the government also wishes to explore the potential for private investment. That is well known, and it is important that within the party and the community the government spells out its commitment to both public ownership and the attraction of private investment into public infrastructure. Mr McNAMARA (Leader of the National Party) - I refer to the proposed privatisation of the Loy Yang B power station and ask the Premier whether she is backing the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, who has advised he wants to proceed with the privatisation, or the Minister for Finance, who appears to be bowing to the socialist left and union militants when he stated yesterday evening that he does not want to proceed with the deal. Ms KIRNER (Premier) - I thank the Leader of the National Party for his question because, as the Minister for Finance just said, it is an important issue which requires a lot of debate in the community and in the Labor Party. It is extremely interesting that the opposition can say with a click of the fingers that it would sell the Gas and Fuel Corporation, which brings to Victoria $300 million a year. The opposition says it would hand over that profit to the private sector. Despite that, the opposition will not allow the sale of the State Insurance Office. What hypocrisy! Can one imagine a bigger act of hypocrisy than actually saying the Liberal Party in government would sell the State Insurance Office but this government cannot? The government is saying it is an appropriate current public asset to put on sale now. The Leader of the Upper House and the government have made no decision to sell any part of the State Electricity Commission, and that has been made absolutely clear from the start by me and the Minister responsible. However, the government will not walk away from the discussion about how Loy Yang BI and B2 are to be funded. A government committee is currently considering that issue; it will look at it just as the government is considering other issues in terms of private investment in public infrastructure. The government will continue to look at it and it will make a decision in the best interests of the community. The government and the opposition know - it is rightly an issue on the table - Australia is spending less money now on infrastructure per person than was spent 40 years ago. The Leader of the New South Wales government, the Premier of South Australia, John Bannon, and myself will put on the table at the May Premiers Conference that a particular matter must be addressed by the National government and State governments cooperatively. That matter is what is needed in terms of public infrastructure in Australia now, how it can be funded by the public sector, what part of it should be owned by the public sector and what contribution the private sector can make. They are big questions and the government will not walk and has not walked away from them. It has walked up to them; it has established a committee to consider those questions; it even has a public-private sector committee checking the guidelines. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Thursday, 14 March 1991 ASSEMBLY 229 My view and that of the community is that the issue is far too important for it simply to be a one-off ideological position of the opposition. SCHOOL RETENTION RATE Mr ANDRIANOPOULOS (St Albans) - Can the Premier inform the House of the most recent advice she has received regarding the government's efforts in having more students complete year 12 schooling? Mr McNamara - They've got nothing else to do. Ms KIRNER (premier) - The Leader of the National Party interjects, 'They've got nothing else to do". That is a good example of why the retention rate in country areas is 5 per cent behind metropolitan areas; people like him do not care about country kids staying on at school. My government has a commitment to allowing all young people the same right as honourable members opposite would want for their children to complete year 12. That goes for kids in the country, in working-class areas and for women and kids with disabilities. I am delighted to inform the House that this year the year 12 retention rate has jumped dramatically by 12 per cent. When this government came into office only 27 per cent of young people stayed on to year 12; this year the figure is 75 per cent. The opposition seems to have a fixation - particularly when it is the shadow Minister making the statement - about the issue of social justice. It seems to have apoplexy. It does not understand what the words mean. "Social justice" means a fair go for all kids to complete year 12, and we are almost there. In one decade the government has changed the face of opportunity for children in Victoria, an opportunity to excel at and complete year 12. When this government came to power there was nowhere in normal schools for kids with disabilities, now 4500 kids with disabilities are in normal schools - by their choice and that of their parents - and many of them are going on to year 12. This government is not going to let it rest there because if one stays on to year 12 one wants to have somewhere to go, to make real choices. Victoria has the highest participation rate of any State in tertiary education. The government is now in a position to look at the further extension of training opportunities on the basis of the announcement made by the Commonwealth government. Finally, I am delighted to note that the Commonwealth government in its recent industry statement on achieving excellence has adopted this government's position on a school improvement program of identifying good schools and practice. There are not many times when one can say that the whole community agrees on something that is important for the future of its children, but the opportunity of staying on to year 12 as a result of the changes in education that this government has created QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 230 ASSEMBLY Thursday, 14 March 1991 through the Victorian certificate of education gives us one of those occasions. I congratulate the teachers, parents and students of Victoria on this enonnous change that is in the interests of the children themselves. SALE OF STATE ASSETS Mr STOCKDALE (Brighton) - I refer to the Treasurer's recent trip to Europe which he described as being to investigate the sale of State assets, including the sale of the State Electricity Commission. Has he now abandoned these plans to protect his Labor Party preselection? Mr ROPER (Treasurer) - I thank the honourable member for Brighton for his question because I do not seem to be able to get those kind of capital questions up in our questions committee. I am happy to have the opportunity of answering it. As was made clear there were a number of purposes behind my visit to Europe, which followed-- Honourable members interjecting. Mr ROPER - Listen to the honourable members opposite! After only two days they can no longer remain diSCiplined. It shows they are two-day discipline people. As a result of discussions with officers and members of the Committee for Melbourne, it was the view that it was important that direct discussions about the Victorian and Australian economies be held with the leading financial houses in Europe.
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