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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 5 Hansard (8 May) . . Page.. 1342 ..
MR STEFANIAK (continuing):
In vocational education and training, some 700 students in our college system took advantage of our initiatives in 1995. There are now 4,000 or 5,000 doing vocational education courses. Fifty per cent do at least one vocational education course. That is a further means by which our students can benefit from good-quality education. They are just a couple of things that have occurred in more recent times to enhance the quality of the education system.
Education changes; it does not stand still. Whoever is in government needs to be constantly vigilant to ensure that we continue to deliver quality education; that it is properly resourced; that it does not stand still; and that if new things need to be tried and introduced they are.
I support Mr Pratt's motion and commend him for bringing it on for debate.
MS TUCKER: I seek leave to speak again and move an amendment which has been circulated in my name.
Leave granted.
MS TUCKER: I move:
Add the following paragraph:
(4) recognising that students facing disadvantage in our community need additional support to complete Year 12 or vocational equivalent, calls on the Government to respond to the recommendations of Report No 9 of the Standing Committee on Community Services and Recreation on adolescents and young adults at risk of not achieving satisfactory education and training outcomes.
I think members are clear on what I am doing here. I referred to this matter before I circulated my amendment. We are proud of our education system, but we are also very aware of the issues for disadvantaged students and disadvantaged families. We had a debate in which we agreed as an Assembly that it would be useful for the government of the day to respond to particularly important reports of the Assembly.
At 5.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the debate was interrupted. The question that the Assembly do now adjourn having been put and negatived, the debate was resumed.
MS TUCKER: We agreed that it would be useful for this government to respond to particularly important reports of the last Assembly. My amendment makes that request and makes the motion more valid.
MS MacDONALD
(5.01): I rise to support Ms Tucker's amendment and to speak to the motion moved by Mr Pratt. The ACT does have a proud record of retention rates. Many people this afternoon have spoken about that record. There are a number of reasons why
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