Page 1170 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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Let me reject outright the contention in Mr Hanson’s motion that the ACT lacks choice in education, that education standards are slipping or that this government is not keenly aware of supporting those in our community. In fact, I thought the Liberals had agreed with me when Mr Doszpot said that ACT education enjoys a favourable reputation around Australia, and that that is well deserved.
Mr Hanson’s motion makes reference to choice in schooling, much like the previous motion that was brought to this place. Those opposite seem very concerned about ensuring that Canberra families have choice in education—and I support choice in education, absolutely. Indeed the ACT government is committed to ensuring that all students in the ACT have the best chance in life through a quality education, regardless of which school they attend and regardless of what sector that school is in.
However, there is one big obstacle to making sure that all children get a chance to succeed, and I believe that is the Liberal Party, represented here by the Liberal opposition and nationally by the federal government. If those opposite want to support the choice made by families for education then they would get behind the national education reform agenda. They would support NERA, which ensures support for all students. NERA recognises and supports choice. It recognises and supports those most in need. Yet there is only one group in this place that has consistently voted against support of choice and supporting need, and that is the Canberra Liberals.
The ACT government does support choice. ACT families have the option of a number of engaging learning settings to meet a wide variety of needs. Parents can choose a small school, a larger school, a school devoted to early education or a school which caters for students from P to 10, special education schools, single-sex schools, religious schools, and, our ACT success story, the separate colleges for our year 11 and 12 students. This extensive choice places students and their families at the centre of our education system and is designed to produce successful outcomes for all students attending ACT schools.
Our children deserve access to quality education that welcomes parents in learning. We also recognise that all schools, regardless of what suburb or sector they belong to, deserve to be supported. As I said, the biggest hurdle for that in the ACT is the Canberra Liberals.
Let me refer to a motion that Mr Gentleman brought to this place in March. In his motion he noted the failure of the commonwealth government to provide funding certainty by guaranteeing the six years of funding set out in the NERA. The motion called on the government to continue to implement the NERA to achieve a positive outcome for students in the ACT, sought the commonwealth government’s commitment to the full six years of funding, and called on the government to invest in education in the ACT to provide better opportunities and outcomes for our children and to work towards the continuing improvement of results for ACT students.
You would think, having listened to all of them this morning, that that motion would have been unanimously supported. Indeed everyone on that side—Mr Coe; Mr Doszpot, and the opposition was led by Mr Doszpot in that debate; Mrs Dunne;
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