Page 1023 - Week 04 - Thursday, 18 June 1992
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It is clearly the case that in our secondary colleges there are a number of students - and I do not want to put a figure on it at the moment - who are not gaining significant or even reasonable education benefit by their presence there. Some students take years 11 and 12 or some part of those years rather more casually than they ought to on the basis, if nothing else, that they can do another year or another two years on top. Let me emphasise that I think most of our students, the great bulk of our students, in our secondary colleges are working very hard, doing an excellent job and fully giving to secondary colleges the high reputation across Australia that they deserve.
But the fact is that this year it is costing about $2m for repeat students. Some element of that is simply not productive educationally. Teachers tell me that. We know it. Not all of those students are going to benefit from that extra time that they spend there. So I am going to look at that. I am going to decide what is the best way I can attend to that in the interests of the student, first of all, but also in the interests of the ACT budget. Early this year, some of you may recall, there was a bit of a fuss - and I can understand why - when we counselled about 100 returning students and turned about 60 of them into TAFE courses. That saved us a bit of money, and that was part of the background; but, more importantly, the students, the parents and the teachers accepted that that was in the best educational interests of the student. That is what is driving us.
MR CORNWELL: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. I am conscious of your ruling, but I wonder whether it is possible for the Minister, Mr Wood, to look into that legal question that I raised. Perhaps he can take it on notice.
MR WOOD: I will take it on notice, but it is beyond the compulsory years. Recently I acted to direct students doing ESL programs away from secondary colleges. They were aged up to 30 or so. I thought it was not appropriate that they should be in our secondary colleges. Secondary college is the most expensive part of our schooling system. You know that as well as anybody does.
Mr Berry: I ask that any further questions be placed on the notice paper.
OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE
Mrs Grassby: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing orders 54 and 55. My point of order concerns the comments made by Mr De Domenico yesterday and printed in the proof Hansard on pages 18 and 19. I ask for them to be withdrawn because I think they are offensive to other people in Canberra. I am paid to be here and be insulted, but I do not think other people in Canberra should be insulted. I have spoken to Mr De Domenico, and he does understand my point. I would like the comments withdrawn so that they do not appear in Hansard.
Mr De Domenico: Madam Speaker, Mrs Grassby did talk to me, and I did agree that some of the comments that I made may have been seen to be whatever. For the sake of peace, Mrs Grassby and I have agreed that some of the comments that she made would be withdrawn, as some of the comments that I made would be withdrawn.
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