Page 1347 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 April 2019
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The conduct of those opposite in debating this issue has been disappointing. They have shown their willingness to resort to tactics that are not in the public interest. In here and out in the media they have claimed that many parents and teachers are approaching them to raise issues. But they have done little more with these representations than use them in debate and in the media. Mr Wall, for example, has come in here and said:
… if these stories are true, they are deeply concerning and deserve to be addressed with urgency.
I happen to agree with Mr Wall on this point, which is why I wrote to the opposition leader and shadow education minister raising concerns that these matters were not being referred to my office for appropriate action. Their response was baffling. Less than 24 hours after sending my letter, my office was approached by a journalist asking about the letter, apparently supplied by the opposition. Yet the opposition claimed that my letter politicised the issue. It was a private letter, calling for some maturity around this, until the opposition made it public.
Equally, we have heard Ms Lee say time and again that she has never named a school. It is a convenient claim, but hardly credible after days of questions from Ms Lee and the opposition referring to “a school in Tuggeranong named in the Canberra Times”. Just on Tuesday, again we saw Ms Lee out there beating up a crisis over the RiskMan occupational violence incident reporting data. There are more reports because staff are now encouraged to report when previously they may not have been. That changed culture is a product of this government taking the issue seriously. There has been no comparable increase in injuries that resulted in staff taking time off work. This is a good indication of a strong reporting culture without an increase in incidents that are resulting in lost time injuries. It has become clear that the opposition really are not interested in the accurate or fair presentation of the issue, and see that there is mileage to get out of it regardless of who is harmed in the process.
Despite all of this, I willingly accept my accountability to the public through the Assembly and the transparency that comes with that. That is why I am moving this motion today. It is clear that the community want an appropriate forum to bring forward individual matters outside of government as we evaluate the management of this issue. I should highlight that this opportunity is already available to the community through existing independent oversight bodies, in this case the Human Rights Commission. But it is important to me that I am responsive to the community. The committee inquiry process will also allow for it. My independent expert advisory group will continue to fulfil its terms of reference. As minister, I need the advice from this group to ensure that I can identify any shortfalls and make any necessary changes that are required.
Importantly, in proposing this referral, I have asked that the Assembly support processes that protect the privacy of individuals, as the Assembly is entitled to do under standing orders. I remain concerned about negative consequences for individual children, their families, staff and schools from being identified in evidence or during hearings, and the public attention that will likely exacerbate already difficult
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