Page 1918 - Week 06 - Thursday, 8 June 2006
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Charnwood has implemented a restorative process to handle incidents of bullying and disruption. It is a joy to visit Charnwood primary school to meet with and be involved with students there and to see the way restorative practice has created a sense of school community and made the school a great place for students and teachers.
While I am standing here, I would like to take this opportunity to say how pleased I am that the minister for education and his department have taken note of important programs like that of Charnwood’s, and has taken these into account when formulating his Towards 2020: Renewing our Schools program.
Mr Speaker, you will be aware that I have had an interest in alternative justice systems for many years and I have spoken in this place about my visit to the Thames Valley with Sir Charles Pollard. This interest, and my previous experience, has led me to ask how useful restorative principles could be here in the ACT in our educative and other youth settings.
Restorative practice is not necessarily about the punishment of offenders. Restorative practice, according to the Crimes (Restorative Justice) Act 2004, is about repairing the harm done to victims and, in some cases, about the harm felt by offenders. Restorative practice aims to give victims and offenders the opportunity and the ability to heal and to move on.
The interim report states that restorative principles are about healing over punishment, reconciliation over anger, and reintegration over rejection. These goals are certainly reflected in the application of restorative practice in education and youth settings. Those utilising restorative practice in their schools report that, by allowing young people the opportunity to heal and to repair, we can offer them the opportunity to improve their capacity for respectful behaviour and their readiness for learning.
In February last year the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Young People resolved to inquire into and report on the practice of restorative justice principles in youth settings. The committee has completed an interim report, which I am tabling today. The committee received 17 submissions and heard from a number of witnesses over the course of the public hearings. The committee also undertook a study tour of South Australia to examine the restorative practices in school trials being conducted in Adelaide. We also visited Queanbeyan South public school and Charnwood primary school.
The committee makes 10 recommendations. Most of these recommend that the department of education investigate and collect data on schools and youth settings that are practising restorative principles. This data ideally should be used to measure the effectiveness of restorative practice and the effect on academic performance and attendance of students. This collection of data would allow for a viable evidence base for the ACT to judge whether or not restorative practice is an effective tool.
In closing, I would like to thank the other members of the committee, Mrs Dunne and Mr Gentleman. I would also like to thank the series of secretaries we have had on that committee, the last being Sandra Lilburn.
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