15 June 2006

Email interview: Andrew Barr

| Kerces
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New ACT education minister Andrew Barr has kindly agreed to be our next email interviewee.

Post any questions you would like to ask him, particularly about the “2020 Renewing our schools” proposals put forward with this week’s budget, in the comments below.

We will choose 10 questions to send on next Thursday 15-JUN-06.

UPDATE Today (Wednesday 13-JUN-06) is your last chance to think up questions for Mr Barr, so get thinking!
Further update The questions I have sent are below.

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PLEASE email me your article crazychester. Presuming your not a “jumped up arseclown you can find my email.

crazychester8:06 am 04 Jul 06

In reply to my comment in this thread http://the-riotact.com/?p=2717

Yes because being made a minister he is instantly omniprescient and able to have knowledge of, and responsibility for, every raving nutter who’s ever been given the cold shoulder by the previous Minister’s staff.

Take your meds and move on for gods sake.

I only noticed your latest little smart arse comment a few days ago and I’ve been too busy to waste my time on it until now.

I’m afraid the Director of Public Prosecutions doesn’t agree with your assessment of my sanity, johnboy. His letter states that my allegations “are certainly serious and should be taken seriously.”

So I dropped a line to Jon Stanhope last night letting him now I’m asking the AFP to investigate the matter for any criminal wrongdoing. Seems they can reply to my emails if they want to. In fact, Chantelle Lustri’s reply arrived less than 10 minutes later.

Oh and if you want to check the veracity of my claims, that’s easily done, johnboy. Seems we live within a few minutes of each other. In fact, we must have almost bumped into each other on the night of the Forbes Street fire because while you were taking your (very crappy) photos, I was out walking the dog.

But what I’m really interested to know is why you dismissed me so readily and why you’ve been so vehement in your attacks on my credibility and sanity. As I had your real name from an email you sent me, I did a little poking around.

Are you the same johnboy involved in digital media? Because, given my complaints specifically involve the Media Department at the Canberra Institute of Technology, I wondered if perhaps you might not be quite as impartial in this matter as you make out.

Do you have some undeclared interest here that might explain your attacks on me, johnboy? Exactly why did you censor my original post? After all, it was really only asking advice from people here about what the hell I’d got myself into that had prompted such an over-the-top response from the powers that be? Do you know the Head of the Media Department, John Frohlich, or any other CIT staff?

I told you this independent citizen jounalism thing was no walk in the park. It’s not worth a pinch of shit if you adopt the same arrogant attitude towards accountability as those you seek to criticise. If the guy who runs the DailyKos can stand up (unbidden) and account for himself to his readers and contributors when challenged, then I don’t know why a jumped up arseclown playing at kiddies citizen’s journalism like you can’t, johnboy.

So come on let’s hear it johnboy. What’s your fucking story? Account for yourself please.

And if you delete this. It’s going to keep appearing. Sure you can block my IP but you can’t block IPs from all over the planet. I’ll give you a lesson about democracy on the internet you’ll never forget.

No idea Nyssa, sorry.

Love the questions.

Any time frame as to when he will get back with the answers? (if he does at all).

I’m stoked that there were 3 questions I asked put in there 🙂

Thankyou for calling the minister for planning, he is currently submitting a DA to see if he has the appropriate planning for the reinforcement in his wirst, to ensure that he is providing a safe environment to answer his telephone. Please leave a detailed message, or call someone who actually cares.

Absent Diane11:41 am 15 Jun 06

The moths of consultation control you

Alright the questions have now been sent as below. I chose 15 this time because so many different topics were covered.

1. Big Al: The Government identified the possibility of closing up to 39 schools in this years budget. Do you think that that number will be sufficient to get the ACT Education system back on track or will the Government need to keep their options open – with the possibility of closing more schools in coming years?

2. Maelinar/Nyssa76: Is the current trend of consolidating educational resources off some kind of generic master-plan that indicates where the population bases of school age children will be in the next few decades, or are you guys just running in the dark with scissors as most of the work of your department would lead us to assume? If there is a master-plan, can you make it available to the wider public? – this will also help answer the running in the dark with scissors part of the question as well. Also, who are the people “in charge” of the policy?

3. Bubzie: If you’re going to shut down 3 out of 5 schools in the Kambah cluster, wouldn’t it just be easier to combine them all to make another super school, instead of just closing them down?

4. Areaman: Why is there six moths of consultation if the school closures are a done deal? If they’re not a done deal why were they announced as such?

5. Nyssa76: Why not make Lyneham and Campbell High Yrs 7-9 (Middle school initiative by said ACTDET) and then make Dickson College Yrs 10-12? You’d free up Lyneham which is bursting at the seams and Dickson would get more numbers.

6. Jey: What’s it like being the sexiest thing the ACT Government has to offer?

7. Emd: Some of the schools closing are running special programs (eg Melrose Primary’s autism program – Melrose closing end 2006). Are these special programs going to be offered at other schools nearby, and how will the change process be managed?

8. GuruJ: How will the ACT government ensure that families in areas affected by school closures have good transport options for attending their new schools?
In particular:
* do you have a target travel time for all students (less than 30 minutes? 45? 60?)?
* What new ACTION and/or shuttle bus services are you going to introduce?
* Will you consider transport subsidies for affected families?

9. Nyssa76/Seepi: Why close Dickson and Kambah when Kaleen and Copland have lower numbers? Dickson is the only College in the inner north, has respectable enrolments now, and could have far greater enrolments in future, as aged pensioners move out of the inner north and families more in. Although Campbell was once a 7-12 school, it really doesn’t have the resources required to run College classes. Copland College has less students than Dickson, and students have the alternate option of Lake Ginninderra College in Belconnen. Did the fact that Dickson College is on a much larger and more valuable tract of land influence this decision?

10. Capt Benno/Caf: With the new ‘megaschool’ (please insert the word gulag at your leisure) model, is there going to be an overhaul of the curriculum and teaching methods used by the teachers in said schools? Or is this just a cost saving measure in regards to physical assets held by ACT Education? Is it the policy of the ACT Government to maintain the year 11/12 college system, particularly in the face of a push to standardise the education systems of the states and territories?

11. Pandy: Ask him what his dad and brother who are teachers think of his decision.

12. Big Al: To what extent have the outlandish, unreasonable and unsustainable demand for exessive salary and condition increases taken by the Education Unions in wage negotiations forced the hand of the Government in relation to school closures? Wouldn’t it be more effective to close down all the schools and then re-open them with new employment contracts only offered to the teachers with a pulse?

13. Capt Benno: What plans do you have in regards to the relocatation/amalgamation of many of the libraries that are no longer going to be acessable to the children of the ACT?

14. Simto: Given that you put an awful lot of effort into getting yourself into government (at the last elections, your poster appeared pretty much everywhere that had vertical space), only to end up in one of the more unpopular positions in the government defending a policy that’s going to offend pretty much anybody with school-age children, any regrets?

15. Terubo/ Cassandra: Finally, Mr Barr, having cut a woeful impression in a recent TV interview (ABC Stateline, 9/6/06), would you not agree that subjecting yourself to this unique form of RiotACT interview has given you the opportunity to string a few sentences together with the clarity, confidence and authority that the electorate expects of you? Will media training be on your personal education agenda, or do you think you can just keep winging it?

PS As an extra, would you mind wandering down to Simon’s office and ask him where his response to the RA questions is up to?

Andrew, your advisors seem to have come up with a detailed plan for the future of education in Canberra.

Normally radical changes in public policy are presented to the public before an election.

Trade-offs must have been decided on in arriving at the 2020 plan. At what point in a democratic government do you think the public should be allowed to have input into those trade-offs?

Will there be any additional costs associated with setting up the new experimental school structures for the ACT. IE – the single 7-12 high school at Campbell, the suoper school/s and the highschools incorporating years 5 and 6. Will these schools be modelled on others in Australia, or will it be a try-it-out-and-see model.

capt_benno: Could you be more specific about where those answers “hide”? I can’t see anything on the ACTION site that answers these questions and I don’t particularly want to trawl through the whole ACT budget…

Guruj,

Check out the ACTION website. your answers will be answered there…

How will the ACT government ensure that families in areas affected by school closures have good transport options for attending their new schools?

In particular:

* Do you have a target travel time for all students (less than 30 minutes? 45? 60?)
* What new ACTION and/or shuttle bus services are you going to introduce?
* Will you consider transport subsidies for affected families?

With the new ‘megaschool’ (please insert the word gulag at your leisure) model, Is there going to be an overhaul of the curriculum and teaching methods used by the teachers in said schools? Or is this just a cost saving measure in regards to physical assets held by ACT Education?

What plans do you have in regards to the relocatation/amalgamation of many of the libraries that are no longer going to be acessable to the children of the ACT?

Finally, I am led to believe that many of ACT’s primary’s schools were highly commended in the late 70’s early 80’s for their design, as they were exceptional at providing a decent environment to be educated in (i.e Hawker Primary). Do you plan on picking up where ACT Educations predessor(sp?) left off? Or will the design of these uber-schools be similar to the the American style of education, where the focus is on providing output (number of students), at the expense of the quality of education?

I would also like to ask Mr. Barr why he is ignoring the public outcry?

Is it because you already know that the consultation process will elude to such disgust?

Also, who are the people “in charge” of the policy? I for one would like to know.

Why was the policy attached to the Budget? Why was it not put forth as a separate paper? Is the Govt trying to evade public comment?

Will the governmnet stand by its commitment to real consultation on the closure of the 39 schools? By consultation I mean listen to all the views and then make a decision based on the best economic outcome – rather than getting bogged down in bullshit ‘negotiations’ with unrepresentative, minority nimby groups all having a bitchfest about their own particular little whingy issue.

Is the current trend of consolidating educational resources off some kind of generic master-plan that indicates where the population bases of school age children will be in the next few decades, or are you guys just running in the dark with scissors as most of the work of your department would lead us to assume ?

If there is a master-plan, can you make it avaliable to the wider public ? – this will also help answer the running in the dark with scissors part of the question as well.

Yes because being made a minister he is instantly omniprescient and able to have knowledge of, and responsibility for, every raving nutter who’s ever been given the cold shoulder by the previous Minister’s staff.

Take your meds and move on for gods sake.

crazychester11:22 am 12 Jun 06

Well, I’ve got a million questions I’d like to ask you, Andrew, but as I already know you and the staff of your department are prepared to lie in order to cover up wrong doing, there’s not a lot of point really is there? After all, when public servants knowingly conspire in gross maladministration it’s corruption, right? Right. And that’s hardly something you’re going to admit to in public, is it? Still, at least truth regarding matters of public interest is a defence against defamation. So that’s something I guess.

Minister, after your performance on Stateline on Friday night (9 June 06) do you think media training will be on your personal education agenda, or do you think you can just keep winging it?

good first q emd
I’m also particularly concerned about teaching programs for students with disabilities

Ask him what his dad and brother who are teachers think of his decision.

Mal, there is NOTHING the ACT Government can do that “the Feds have no power to intervene in” – the power being used to block the legislation in question is the power of the federal executive to disallow ANY ACT legislative assembly enactment (within 6 months of being gazetted).

The ACT legislation does not transgress on the Federal government’s constitutional power over marriages.

Mr Barr,
Aren’t your continual hysterical accusations that anyone who criticises your civil unions legislation in reality a flimsy attempt to distract from the fact that you have completely botched the drafting & handling of this issue?

Doesn’t this make as much sense as saying that your closing of schools means that you hate children?

Doesn’t the fact that you’ve failed to draft legislation that would protect specific rights of gay couples that the Feds have no power to intervene in, prove that this was all just a cruel hoax?

10. Finally, Mr Barr, having cut a woeful impression in a recent TV interview (ABC Stateline, 9/6/06), would you not agree that subjecting yourself to this unique form of RiotACT interview has given you the opportunity to string a few sentences together with the clarity, confidence and authority that the electorate expects of you?

simto, I’m pretty sure the Feds don’t want to give us a technical college becuase there aren’t any marginal seats in the ACT.

barking toad, how about using some neutural language rather than a “have you stopped beating your wife” question. Especially as things like implementing civil unions cost almost nothing compared to infrastructure and service delivery. And anyway it’s not an either or proposition, you can (or at least I do, and all governments do) more than one thing at one, or do you have to sit down to chew gum?

barking toad5:00 pm 09 Jun 06

In the current climate where resources are scarce and expenditure cuts have been announced, what are your priorities for government spending ?

1. Critical areas of importance to all Canberrans such as health, education, infrastructure; or,
2. Socials issues affecting minorities such as civil unions.

Is the ACT government planning on getting involved in any way with the Federal Government’s Australian Technical College initiative? There’s currently no locations listed on their website for the ACT – there’s intended to be an announcement for Quenbeyan at some point – is that intended to cover the ACT as well?

For the uninformed (from the website http://www.australiantechnicalcolleges.gov.au/faq.htm#1a:

Australian Technical Colleges will be specialist schools with high quality facilities providing tuition for Years 11 and 12 students where all students will undertake academic studies relevant to a career in the trades and trades-related vocational courses, as well as developing employability and entrepreneurial skills.

I think that Mr Evil has nailed it – there’s no need for the other nine questions.

How was the decision taken to close Dickson college over Copland College?
Dickson is the only college in the inner north, has respectable enrolments now, and could have far greater enrolments in future, as aged pensioners move out of the inner north and families more in. Copland College has less students than Dickson, and students have the alternate option of Lake Ginninderra College in Belconnen. Did the fact that Dickson College is on a much larger and more valuable tract of land influence this decision?

Does the ACT Govt actually have any idea what it’s are doing, or are you all just flying blind?

1. Some of the schools closing are running special programs (eg Melrose Primary’s autism program – Melrose closing end 2006). Are these special programs going to be offered at other schools nearby, and how will the change process be managed?

2. Has the government given consideration to the effect on property values, and therefore the flux as people move en masse to better areas, by the change in schools? For example, houses surrounding schools that are closing might drop in value, or houses in the “traffic area” of remaining schools might also drop as more kids are driven to a bigger school.

Super.

Canberra Times Wenesday June 7 on page 20.

I was wrong. They are getting 24% now.

James-T-Kirk12:36 pm 09 Jun 06

No, I am permanant, The salary gets paid to the bank account every fortnight.

Wouldn’t be a contractor for quids, far too much risk. Why go to all that touble when you can be paid contractor rates as a permanant employee.

Just get the negotiation right in the first place.

If you dont like the deal, modify it, or leave it.

I’m a permanent, not a contractor. Kirk?

If the percentages are correct, then Barr has moved from being paid superannuation as a permanent employee (as a public servant) to being paid superannuation as a contractor (renewable at the next election, which is two and a bit years away). I’m assuming that’s what VY and JTK are?

Pleae excuse typing – fingers not working well today

To further bonfire question, If the Government is truly committed to fighting childhood obesity, wouldn’t it make sense to close down more school – thereby forcing the kiddies to ride or walk further and as a result getting more exercise?

politicians get around 26% super and publuc servants around 15% – at present

Got any sources to bakc that up. I thought ACT politicians were in the PSS like other public servants. I couldn’t find anything on thr ACT Remuneration tribunal site one way or the other:http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/remtrib/ .

Mr Barr;

Wouldnt you consider it better for children to be able to walk to a school rather than have their parents drive ?

By closing local schools and adopting the mega school model, doesnt this contradict the sustainable transort plans aim to have peopel walking, cycling or catching PT instead of driving ?

Imagine if guys like Captain Kirk and I actually had to be paid according to an award negotiated by some corrupt bugger whinging about “the management” all day… The private sector rocks!

James-T-Kirk10:54 am 09 Jun 06

Wow, 26%, that almost comes close to what I have personally arranged with my employer as a private industry employee.

Yum, Salary review is soon…

Andrew, would you mind wandering down to Simon’s office and ask him where his reponse to the RA questions is up to?

super.

politicians get around 26% super and publuc servants around 15% – at present

Getting back to the issues raised by Pandy and Big Al, what will happen to the closed sites? they are zoned for “community use”, which, as we know, will more often than not, end up as medium-density or hi-rise.

Given this government’s too-cosy relationship with developers, a propensity for large-scale infill, and shutting the community out of any meaningful consultation on what happens within our neighbvourhoods, what guarantees will we have that this land will remain available for community use? If given such undertakings, how will we know if that community use will be compatible with particular neighbourhoods, and how will that be determined and by whom? Not ACTPLA, we would hope, nor by the Planning Minister who seems to be captured by the development lobby.

Given that you put an awful lot of effort into getting yourself into government (at the last elections, your poster appeared pretty much everywhere that had vertical space), only to end up in one of the more unpopular positions in the government defending a policy that’s going to offend pretty much anybody with school-age children, any regrets?

With the closure of Dickson Colledge will the Governmnet be seeking to capitalise on the strong inner north property values, and when the site is sold, will the Government consider the opportunity to meet growing demand for “gated community” housing options?

*checking pulse*

Given that the Inner North of Canberra has lost – in the past 20 yrs, Watson High, Downer Primary, Hackett Primary and now look to lose Dickson College, how can you justify Dickson’s closure? (amongst others)

Can the public nominate additional schools for closure?

To what extent have the outlandish, unreasonable and unsustainable demand for exessive salary and condition increases taken by the Education Unions in wage negotiations forced the hand of the Government in relation to school closures? Wouldn’t it be more effective to close down all the schools and then re-open them with new employment contracts only offered to the teachers with a pulse?

Why does he deserve more super than a public servant? (He was one a few months ago).

stupid question, he isn’t. He’s earning the same super as an ACT public servant who started at the same time, indeed he’s probably still paying into the same super fund.

My question would be why is there six moths of consultation if the school closures are a done deal? If they’re not a done deal why were they announced as such?

1/ Why does he deserve more super than a public servant? (He was one a few months ago).

2/ will the shut schools be given over to community use, or is the Labor Party going to sell it to big business (Consolidated Builders et. al.) for a quick buck?

3/ Does his face hurt smiling so much?

If your going to shut down 3 out of 5 schools in the Kambah cluster, wouldnt it just be easier to combine them all to make another super school, instead of just closing them down?

What is the ACT Government’s view of our seperate year 11 and 12 college system? Is it the policy of the ACT Government to maintain this system, particularly in the face of a push to standardise the education systems of the states and territories?

Sexy??

Pasty face and receding tipped hair. The phrase ‘try hard’ springs to mind

Don’t ask him anything too hard, he may cry

What’s it like being the sexiest thing the ACT Government has to offer?

The Governmnet identified the possibility of closing up to 39 schools in this years budget. Do you think that that number will be sufficient to get the ACT Education system back on track or will the Governmnet need to keep their options open – with the possibility of closing more schools in coming years?

Why not make Lyneham and Campbell High Yrs 7-9 (Middle school initiative by said ACTDET) and then make Dickson College Yrs 10-12? You’d free up Lyneham which is bursting at the seams and Dickson would get more numbers.

Also, why close Dickson and Kambah when Kaleen and Copland have lower numbers? Dickson is the only College in the inner north and although Campbell was once a 7-12 school, it really doesn’t have the resources required to run College classes.

Can we ask him to define the word “collegiate”?

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