Page 2945 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011

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The purpose of the amendment to the transitional arrangements definition for teacher currently teaching is to pick up the teachers who are not currently teaching but working in administrative roles, for example, in the central office of the Education and Training Directorate.

A new section under transitional arrangements has also been added to clarify the situation for someone who has been teaching but does not have formal education qualifications. If the person has been teaching in a school and has specialist knowledge, training, skills or qualifications in the subject they are teaching, then they will be able to be granted a permit to teach, for example, a tradesperson teaching in a technical class in a secondary school but not having a formal teaching qualification.

The purpose of the ACT Teacher Quality Institute is to enhance the standing of the teaching profession in the territory and to strengthen the quality and sustainability of the teaching workforce. The main purpose of the amendment to the act is to provide greater confidence in the teaching workforce through closer scrutiny of all convictions identified through criminal history checks conducted as part of the teacher registration and permit to teach processes. I commend the bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Doszpot) adjourned to the next sitting.

Terrorism (Extraordinary Temporary Powers) Amendment Bill 2011

Mr Corbell, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.

Title read by Clerk.

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.15): I move:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

This bill proposes the extension of our existing Terrorism (Extraordinary Temporary) Powers Act 2006 to 2016 as well as a small number of amendments. These amendments flow from the review that I tabled in this place on 16 November last year. Mr Speaker, today I will use this speech to provide members with an overview of the amendments contained in this bill. I will also provide members with details of the evidence and reasoning that the government has relied on in reaching the conclusion that the continuation of our counter-terrorism laws is a necessary and proportionate response to the threat of terrorism faced by Australians and residents of the territory.

Last year’s review made eight recommendations, six of those recommendations relating to amendments to the Terrorism Act. The first proposed amendment will allow for the continuation of our counter-terrorism act for a further five years to 2016. This proposal, as discussed in the review, is based on recent security assessments


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