Page 3776 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 22 November 2006
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Time has moved on since the Second World War and since the questionable actions of Mr Stefaniak. The Stanhope government has introduced, and this Assembly has passed, the Education Act 2004. This act, unlike the previous Education Act of 1937 and the Schools Authority Act of 1976 that former governments were operating under, defines a preschool as a school and outlines the consultation process that is required prior to any closure or amalgamation. It is my understanding that an arrangement made in 1943 would not take precedence over the Education Act 2004. That said, however, the government will be very pleased to examine any documents referred to us by the Canberra Pre-School Society and will certainly take them into account.
The government wishes and intends to continue its strong support for preschool education. The government supports the peak body, the Canberra Pre-School Society. In fact, we provide a grant to cover the salary of the coordinator and we contribute annually over a quarter of a million dollars in grants to support the operation of preschools.
Through this consultation period I have had extensive opportunity to meet with preschool and school communities and to listen to their views. When they are asked about the proposal to link preschools to primary schools, they continue to reveal widespread support for this proposal. Families see the benefits of easing the transition between preschool and primary school. A continuity of curriculum is also seen as a major strength.
However, the government recognises that there are governance issues involved with this process. That is why the integration of the preschool year with primary schools is not proposed to commence until 2008. Operationalising this preschool-primary link can occur during next year, however, if the proposal proceeds.
Towards 2020 is about renewing our school and preschool provision and providing the best start to school for every ACT child. The government believes a forward-looking approach is necessary. The community and members of this Assembly are acutely aware of the issues facing our education system. We have declining enrolments, ageing infrastructure and too many schools in the ACT. This comes as no surprise to anyone. I raised this issue in my first speech in this place.
The difficulties are well known. They date back to before self-government. This Assembly has debated the issue, set up inquiries into the matter and reviewed the report by the Auditor-General, and it keeps coming back to the same point. We have too many preschools and schools and not enough children to keep them viable. The underutilisation of preschools is well known. Even Mr Stefaniak knew it when he was minister.
The government has acted. We are tackling the issue by consulting on a comprehensive proposal and matching it with a massive investment in infrastructure: $90 million in capital investment in the next four years and $20 million into information technology and construction of new schools. It is the largest ever investment in public education in the history of the ACT.
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