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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (13 May) . . Page.. 1305 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

The emphasis we are placing on literacy and numeracy and the review we are having in terms of how that money can be best utilised and programs best developed - which, incidentally, was a suggestion of the P and C Council, and I thought that it was an excellent idea, so we have taken it on board - point to the very real advances we are making in terms of students who are disadvantaged and, I think, in terms of the educational disadvantages suffered by students who have fallen through the cracks in terms of literacy and numeracy.

The testing that we have undertaken at this stage - an immensely popular new system, if those facts I quoted earlier in relation to the number of parents who have opted out are any indication - will enable moneys to be further directed to ensuring that students who otherwise would have fallen through the cracks and who now will not can have their needs properly addressed. Our review of special education, the very detailed consultation process that has occurred there and the work that has emanated from that will further help another group of disadvantaged students. Let me say just briefly, in terms of alternative education programs, that the one at Dickson College is going very well, and the department and the Government aim to have one up and running on the south side starting at the beginning of next year.

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, there are a number of other things that I need to point out to Ms McRae. I have already gone through the significant amount of funding we have put into education, maintaining our commitment for a third year in a row - the $400,000 extra to extend literacy testing to the high schools and also to introduce numeracy testing into all primary and high schools; the $604,000 to top up the funds already set aside for the student record keeping system, which is absolutely essential for our senior students; the new Gungahlin high school and the money spent on that; the moneys used for capital works this year; the $2.835m going into new science labs at various schools; the $200,000 for special education services in non-government schools; almost $1m to provide disability access in two of our high schools; and $2.62m for assorted minor new works. I really do not know how anyone could interpret this sort of commitment as poor management.

Also, was it poor management that brought us a 92 per cent parental satisfaction rate with the performance of our colleges in the school development process survey conducted last year? Would poor management produce, from the same survey, an exceptionally high level of satisfaction with the enjoyment of learning, the work of teachers, teacher approachability and teacher-student relations across all sectors of the schooling system? No, I do not think poor management would produce anything of the kind at all.

This Government and certainly I personally have a huge commitment to quality education in our system. I think that is indicated, firstly, by the level of funding. In difficult financial times, we provide the various types of programs that are available in our schools to assist all of our students, especially students who are at some disadvantage compared with their peers, and we are constantly making efforts to improve not only educational opportunities but also amenities in schools, through such initiatives in the budget this year as I have already mentioned.

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