Page 4087 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 13 December 2006
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Leave granted.
MR BARR: I thank the Assembly for granting me leave to make this ministerial statement. On 6 June this year, the government released the Towards 2020: renewing our schools education proposal for community consultation. Our aim was to consult with the community on a series of proposals to ensure the sustainability of our public education system at a time when it is facing significant challenges. Today I have announced the outcomes of this consultation process and the most significant public education reform package seen in the ACT since self-government.
Education is the foundation for future success in life. We have a responsibility to ensure that all Canberrans have access to the best education possible, a responsibility to ensure that they can access world-class choices and opportunities, no matter what their background or socioeconomic status.
The Stanhope government believes that high quality education should not be a privilege afforded only to those attending private schools. It is a right for all students. Demographics are changing. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show a significant decline in our school-age population. Between 1996 and 2005, the number of primary school age children in the ACT decreased by 2,600, or eight per cent. The population of high school and college age students decreased by 1,500, or five per cent. Enrolments in ACT public schools have fallen by seven per cent since 2001.
Our population is ageing and we are seeing an increasing number of students and their families choosing to attend non-government schools. Currently 41 per cent of Canberra parents choose to send their children to the private system, a system that has received record support from the federal government. These factors combined have meant that there are fewer students in our public education system than ever before.
Public education in the ACT was heading towards being the choice for a minority of students within a decade. We faced the risk of it becoming a safety net for those who cannot afford private education. Coupled with a declining school-age population, this has meant that there are fewer students than ever in our public system. In a system that was built for 55,000 students, there are now only around 35,000. We also face the challenge of maintaining the ageing infrastructure in our schools. The average age of our schools is 33 years. Too many of our education dollars have been consumed in maintaining ageing infrastructure. The government was faced with a stark choice: to do nothing and let our system further decline or strive to provide a better system for our current students and future generations.
Today the Stanhope government has responded to this challenge with a package that we believe will result in a better public education system for all Canberrans. This education reform package to renew our schools reflects the input and ideas of the Canberra community. I have spent the last six months consulting with the community around this package. Whilst this has been a difficult time for many parents, children and school communities, their commitment to the sustainability and success of our public education system has been obvious.
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