Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry has been censured in the Legislative Assembly, with the Liberals and Greens uniting to condemn the minister over her handling of the public school system at the same time teachers go on strike.
But independent Leanne Castley, who quit the Liberal party last week, broke with her former colleagues and backed Ms Berry, calling on the opposition to build its credibility rather than using motions that would "lose their edge".
Opposition Leader Mark Parton said the Liberals were standing up for their values in seeking to censure Ms Berry, but these values "meant different things to different people".
Ms Berry defended her record in the housing and education portfolios over the past decade, saying she had never and would never shy away from reform and acted when problems were uncovered.
"I'll always own it when things go wrong. I'm not perfect, by any means but I turn up and accept responsibility when I've got it wrong. I take on the criticism and recommendations and make the change where it's right," Ms Berry said.
ACT Greens leader Jo Clay had said an independent review of public school resources and a "pattern of serious issues" in the territory's public housing system amounted to systemic failures overseen by Ms Berry.
"Ministerial responsibility is not optional. When there is a consistent pattern of warnings ignored, problems denied, and harm caused, the Assembly has a duty to act," Ms Clay said.
"This censure is about accountability - but more importantly, it's about standing with the community, with teachers and with public housing tenants who have been raising the alarm for too long."
Opposition Leader Mark Parton said: "Ministerial accountability is a cornerstone of responsible government. After years of warnings, reviews, audits and court findings, the evidence is clear: Canberrans deserve better, and Minister Berry must be held accountable."
Mr Parton told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday the outcomes in the housing and education portfolios were "monumentally bad".
"We kind of accept mediocrity but we just can't accept ongoing disaster," he said.
"This territory cannot let this debacle pass without putting a black mark on the report card of the Education Minister. And don't get me started on housing."
Ms Berry said: "In education, I commissioned the public school resourcing review, based on feedback from public education stakeholders. Government needed independent advice from external experts to be able to make this generational reform. They've delivered that advice, and now I'm acting on it."
RELATED: From contentious gym debates to more parent support: see ACT education budget funding
Independents Fiona Carrick and Thomas Emerson voted to censure Ms Berry.
After Ms Castley quit the Liberals for the crossbench last week, the opposition and the Greens needed the support of at least one independent member to pass the censure motion.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr defended Ms Berry and said censures should be reserved for times when ministers had refused or failed to act to fix serious issues in their portfolios.
The joint Liberal and Green censure motion against Ms Berry cited the findings a public school resourcing review commissioned after the majority of public schools were on track to blow their annual budgets.
"This review paints a deeply concerning picture of our public school system - one plagued by confusion, inconsistency and poor communication, with teachers buried under administration instead of being supported in classrooms," Ms Clay said.
Public schools closed in the ACT on Thursday as teachers went on strike, as teachers push for increased pay and improvements in their conditions.
Ms Berry last month said public schools would move to a more centralised administration and the government had agreed or agreed in principle to the resourcing review's 25 recommendations.
"By moving to a more coordinated system, this is more consistent and equitable in responding to each individual student's need so that every child-no matter their background, no matter their school-can access an excellent public education," Ms Berry told the Assembly.
"The future of education in the ACT is one public education system, and the government is proud to be building on that future."
Mr Parton had said Ms Berry also needed to be held accountable for a series of failures in the public housing system.
"The record in housing is equally concerning. Ombudsman reports, Auditor-General investigations, a Supreme Court finding that tenants' human rights were breached, and evidence regarding failures in specialist disability accommodation all point to serious and sustained mismanagement within Housing ACT under Labor's watch," he said.
A successful censure motion does not carry the expectation a minister would resign from their portfolios, unlike a no-confidence motion which usually leads a minister to resign.
Transport Minister Chris Steel was censured in October over his handling of a new public transport ticketing system, the rollout of which was found by a parliamentary inquiry to have been a "significant failure".
