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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 5 Hansard (8 May) . . Page.. 1702 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

concern is expressed that "mandatory times"for physical activity in schools will politicise physical education. I cannot see how it does that; I do not think anything can. The community expects that children, when they are sent to school, will be involved in a program of physical education that involves mandatory times.

Why are mandatory times important? If schools have a regime of physical education run along mandatory times, it assists to teach our children about routine and personal discipline. It teaches them to gear themselves up to turn up at the right time, at the right place and properly equipped with white sand shoes on to undertake what is recognised to be an important part of their education. If it is not mandatory, it may not be seen to be important. That is why mandatory times are very important.

I note the comments in the report about the watering down of competitive sport. I do not think this is on. Competitive sports contain elements that are very important to the development of our kids, such as teamwork. It is important for our kids to learn to get on with others, not just in the classroom but out on the sporting field where there is perhaps a little bit of physical adversity. It is important for our children to enjoy sharing the goals that teams achieve, and sporting teams are probably the most effective vehicles we have in schools for teaching our kids teamwork and what it is like to achieve goals. A maths class does not to that, but a sporting team can.

What I really have criticism for is the comment that the competitive spirit thing is a bit overdone. That is bunkum, and I am sorry to see that people think in those terms and influence our schools by saying that competition is a bad thing. We have to teach our children that a competitive edge is important in life. Kids have got to understand the value of a competitive edge. They have to understand that this is a pretty tough life, and it is a pretty difficult world in which we live. They need to learn that.

Mr Cornwell: Hear, hear!

Ms MacDonald: It's been really tough for you, hasn't it, Greg?

Mr Cornwell: Yes, that is why I had the competitive edge, Ms MacDonald. I wasn't cotton-woolled.

MR PRATT: My learned friend is absolutely correct. We were born to take the first breath and to take a bit of a risk. But it is important that our children of the ages of 13, 14, 15 undertake a little bit of rigour, undertake the odd onerous activity, learn to share the bumps and the grinds with their mates and learn a little bit about the competitive edge because as they get out into the bigger, wider world they are going to have to cope with people who are going to compete with them and institutions who are going to compete with them for their time and their resources. So I am sorry to see that the report has taken that approach.

To suggest that the very little physical education time that we have in the school curriculum should be taken up by softer activities, which are of a more recreational nature, versus competitive sport, is not on. Where are we going to get our children to get out there and go the extra yard? (Extension of time granted.) It is important that our children learn to go the extra yard, and it is important that our children learn to aerobically stretch themselves. It is good for their health if nothing else.

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