Page 1987 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 23 June 2021

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I turn now to Mr Davis’s comments. To be frank, I was shocked and appalled. It was not a robust debate about how we can better improve our government schools. I acknowledge that we have just had that. We will continue to agree and disagree, minister.

Ms Berry: We agree on equity.

MR HANSON: We agree on equity. We agree on a lot of things, I am sure. I would hope that, despite our different approaches, we would agree that we want to see the best for all children in all schools in the ACT, whether they are government or non-government.

Mr Davis’s very unhelpful comments essentially declared war—ideological warfare—on non-government schools in this place. This is essentially the day when the Greens declared war on non-government schools. That is entirely unhelpful. It does nothing to help government schools; it just raises the heat of the debate and tries to bring back old debates. Perhaps it is some sort of antiquated class warfare.

I support parental choice. But at the end of the day, in this place, as a member or a minister, our principal responsibility in terms of the management of schools is government schools. Let us focus on that. Let us make sure that we are doing the best for the people that are working so hard within those schools. If you want to have your ideological warfare, I do not think that is going to help. I do not think it is going to help one iota. I am bitterly disappointed to see that sort of rhetoric raised in this place.

We will not be supporting the amendment moved by Mr Davis. It is hiding from what needs to be done. We do need to coordinate all the work that has been done, look at the evidence, and do all we can to support our schoolkids. Mr Davis’s motion basically hides from that. Obviously, he did not want to just vote against the motion—and maybe the government did not—and that is why he moved the amendment. It is not something that is going to help the hardworking teachers that we all support and those kids we want to do the best we can for.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

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