Mr RANDALL(10.36 p.m.) —Earlier today, I reported in the grievance debate that an Aboriginal community school called Culunga has serious concerns relating to its accountability in educational terms and its many forms of maladministration. This school is largely funded by DEETYA moneys hence the Commonwealth has a great interest in the functioning of this school.

I would like to point out one of the areas of concern. The DEETYA funds are currently also used for homework classes. These homework classes cost something like $35 an hour and are provided after school. I am reliably informed that these funds are not used for homework classes. A BBQ is put on and the rest of the kids roam around the school. The people who are supposed to be teaching do not teach. Even more seriously, one of the people who was to receive these homework class moneys was in gaol at the time. He was in gaol for some time while he was still being paid the funds to teach homework classes after school.

Other concerns, which I gave a great history of this afternoon, are that the family members of the board pay each other in cash, for which there is, apparently, also no accountability. On 29 January 1997, nothing had changed. The school coordinator asked the chairperson of the board, who just happens to be her sister, for a cash advance. She said that she had run out of money over the Christmas break. She was told, `I will go and check.' Ten minutes later she was told, `Yes, you can have it; try and pay it back in December 1997.'

Earlier today I also referred to two documents. One was the letter from the school principal to the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations and another was the letter from the Australian Government Solicitor, which did an audit into the school. I seek leave to table those documents.

Leave granted.

Mr RANDALL —Funds of ASSPA, which stands for Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness, are also under scrutiny at this school. There are many allegations that these funds are not being spent on the Abo riginal students there and that in fact funds are being siphoned off in a rather dubious manner.

For these reasons and many others that I alluded to today, I call for an independent inquiry into the running and administration of this school, in particular in relation to its funds and the quality of education it provides, so that the children of this school can get a fair go. They are at a special Aboriginal school to get a special Aboriginal program, and the funds are not going where they are designed to go. Whether this inquiry is initiated through the many committees of this parliament or is determined independently in another forum, I would hope that the minister would take that request on board. There are allegations of gross impropriety regarding the funding of this school in particular.

Another serious allegation is that as of last Friday, the remaining two Aboriginal teachers at this school were sacked; they were given notice. These were the two teachers who have spoken out. It seems rather unusual to me that the two remaining very well qualified Aboriginal teachers who have come forward and spoken out are now being told that their services will not be required in six weeks time. That would leave the school with very few pupils and a skeleton staff to try to run the school.

If the school is going to be run on a skeleton staff with a handful of students, why should the school remain open when there are more appropriate schools locally? There is another Aboriginal school up the road run by Robert Bropho; there are Aboriginal programs in surrounding high schools and primary schools where the needs of the Aboriginal children are being met. I call on the minister and all those who are responsible to conduct an inquiry into the running of this school forthwith.