NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell rolled out his ministerial team at Armidale yesterday – but, regardless of their portfolios, much of the talk was on health and education.
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The hot issues were top of the agenda at the community cabinet Q&A, with close to 200 people lining the Armidale Ex-Services Memorial Club room.
There were no firm commitments, no promises or even funding announcements, but the cabinet answered the questions – whether people were happy with the answer is a different story.
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The numbers fell short of the 270 who pre-registered and well below some early expectations that 400 people would pack the room.
But there was plenty of passion from many of the men and women who took to the floor to ask a question.
From rate-pegging to abattoir surveillance, renewable energy, disability access, passenger rail plans and even birth certificates, it was on the table for discussion.
A ban on synthetic drugs, funding for neighbourhood service centres, police resources and allocations, and native vegetation had a run too.
Only six ministers out of the 21 who attended remained silent throughout the proceedings, with no questions asked of them.
Mr O’Farrell joked it was because Adrian Piccoli hogged the floor, but it was clear the community wanted answers on everything from funding to preschools and central schools, to TAFE cuts and the NBN in schools.
TAFE film student Matthew Foster said he was concerned his course might not be on offer in Armidale next year and he wanted a guarantee it would be.
“My concern is that our course won’t run next year because there won’t be improved gear to compete,” he said.
“We need more gear, we need better gear.
“We’re in an industry that changes really fast.”
Mr Piccoli said he wasn’t aware of the specific course but he was unable to provide guarantees because he had to answer to taxpayers.
“We’ve got to make sure that the taxpayer subsidies provided are focused on these skills shortage areas,” he told the crowd.
While Jacqueline Tokely from the Drummond Park Preschool in Armidale quizzed Mr Piccoli on why the school hadn’t had any boosts to funding since 2009, despite rising wages and extra running costs.
She also asked whether more funding was on the way.
Mr Piccoli said the Department of Education was developing a new funding model of the sector.
“Major reforms in the way we fund preschools,” he said.
“There are clear anomalies in the system that need to be addressed.
“We will have the final version of the model in October or November.”
Many of the questions didn’t get up, but Armidale did take the crown for one thing when it came to the community cabinet meeting – Mr O’Farrell said it was the most productive of its kind.
“I don’t think we’ve had a productive community cabinet as this,” he told the crowd, referring to the 20 questions his team took without notice in the hour-and-a-half time limit.
