Page 5838 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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government system as well. It is certainly the government’s intention to allow for, as is traditionally the case, the Catholic education system in particular to wait until the government enterprise bargaining framework is resolved and then make an offer to its own staff based around the conditions that are offered by the government. It is important that this is extended into non-government schools, particularly into the Catholic education system. The government looks forward to working with the CEO in relation to the implementation of this initiative.
It is important if we are to say to our best and brightest who are coming into university and making a decision about what career they wish to pursue that the teaching career and the teaching profession provide them with the professional development opportunities and the accelerated progression opportunities that are available to them in virtually every other competing profession. To break the back of this in this agreement is a significant reform. It is a significant reform. It is one of the most important that will be achieved in the ACT education system, in my view, for some time.
Teacher quality is the silver bullet. It is the most significant factor in improving student performance. Having the best teachers at the front of classrooms teaching our students, whether they are in public, Catholic or independent schools, is critical. That will be what will drive increased and improved performance across the ACT education system. It will be the most critical element in closing the achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canberrans and between wealthy and not-so-wealthy Canberra students.
The capacity the government now has to direct these promotional positions into the most disadvantaged schools, to work with the most disadvantaged students, is one of the most fundamental pieces of public policy that this place can ever deliver. It will make a difference to the lives of many thousands of Canberra students, because they will have access to the best classroom teachers. That is a very proud achievement of this Labor government, something that I hope all people with a view about the transformative power of education would agree with.
There are many other elements of the government’s offer that I think are important and worth reflecting on. Clearly, rewarding leadership within the ACT public education system is critical. We have moved to provide much more autonomy for school principals and school leadership to employ staff and to run schools according to local needs. That again is a critical reform, supported nationally with funding and political will. That is what is needed to drive reform in education.
It is easy to take cheap shots. It is easy to whinge on the sidelines. But when the hard work is required to deliver structural reform within education, it is the Labor Party that does that hard work, because of all political parties in Australian history, we recognise the power of education to transform lives. We will continue with our efforts to drive reform in education, to continue to do better for ACT students and to provide the sorts of career opportunities that will attract the best and brightest into the teaching profession.
Before I close, I think it is also worth acknowledging that this agreement contains two other important boosts: an additional $8,000 per year allowance for school counsellors
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