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The Hon. PATRICIA FORSYTHE: My question without notice is directed to the Treasurer, representing the Premier. Did the Premier tell the Country Labor Conference in Coffs Harbour that all classrooms from Taree to Coffs Harbour would be airconditioned for the start of the school year? If so, as the mean summer temperature for each of the centres is below the temperature in the Government's policy for airconditioning classrooms, is the Premier guilty of pork-barrelling, or just deceiving the people in that region, especially as the airconditioning program has not been completed? Has the Premier told schools in country New South Wales still awaiting airconditioning that he is prepared to ignore the policy for the sake of a few seats that he is trying to win?
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: What a terrible thing—
The Hon. J. F. Ryan: What's a terrible thing?
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: To be accused of pork-barrelling. What a dreadful thing! I can assure the House that it is not something that a Labor government would ever do. However, I would like to point out that what the Carr Government will do is aircondition schools in New South Wales. That is something the previous Coalition Government hardly did at all. In fact, I note that it did not even commence the program. It is the sort of thing that a Labor government does. I must admit that when I was at school there was no airconditioning in classrooms.
The Hon. C. J. S. Lynn: There weren't even schools.
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: Yes, there were.
The Hon. D. J. Gay: They had the windows open in winter in your classroom.
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: They did, too. They closed them in yours, did they?
The Hon. D. J. Gay: No. Everywhere else they would have.
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: In my school the windows were open. If they were not open, they were often broken. An orange, a cricket ball or a football would go through a window, and we would get fresh air all day. We were hardy. It does not get that cold in Sydney. We did not need closed windows, airconditioning or heating. Not only did we not have airconditioning or heating, we did not have a school library, nor did we have a school gymnasium.
The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: I bet you had a chapel.
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: We didn't, in fact. We used to make our own little chapel in the corner of every classroom in the month of May.
The Hon. J. F. Ryan: Are you referring to the public education system?
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I was never educated by the public education system.
The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: I can tell that.
The Hon. M. R. EGAN: You probably can. It is A-B-C-D-E-F-G-"Haitch"—you can tell by the way I pronounce it—I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P. That is the way you can tell.