Page 841 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 6 April 2022
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everyone. The table he is referring to in the ROGS report shows that the ACT government funding for public schools is the highest, per student, in the country, with the exception of the Northern Territory. Mr Hanson might want to go and have another look at the Gonski needs-based funding model to understand how public and non-government schools are funded.
As I said in my speech earlier today, the most recent public budget included an additional $51 million in recurrent funding and that includes over $12 million for early childhood education and care; over $15 million to boost the education equity fund to reach an estimated five times as many students; over $7 million for an additional 25 youth and social workers; and almost half a million dollars to provide college students with free and confidential legal advice.
We also funded a trial of free breakfast and lunch at schools—something members will recall that the opposition made fun of during the last election campaign. In addition, the government continues to invest in school infrastructure: a new high school in Taylor; expanding Margaret Hendry School; the modernisation of Garran Primary School and Narrabundah College; the new Strathnairn primary school; with over $157 million invested in new and renewed public school infrastructure in the recent 2021-22 budget. This government also provided Chromebooks for every public high school and college student—another initiative that the opposition poked fun at, but which has meant that when we needed to move to remote learning, we were the most prepared in the country.
We often say that a budget is a statement of a government’s priorities and values. Importantly, in our last budget, we invested almost $6 million in additional resources for managing occupational violence and complex needs in public schools. And we will continue to do what is required to keep staff and students safe and learning. The opposition would have you believe that talking about the national teacher shortage is some kind of an excuse. It is not an excuse, but it is an important factor to understand the circumstances that schools are operating in. Schools are continuing to provide great education despite the national teacher shortage, and despite the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic.
There is no magic supply of additional teachers for us to call on. That is why we have been working with unions to identify workload reduction measures to take the pressure off schools going into term 2. That is why we have partnered with the AEU to form a teacher shortage taskforce. And it is why we continue to follow the advice of the Chief Health Officer, who has done so much to protect our community during this pandemic.
There has been discussion in this place already today about WorkSafe ACT’s notices in relation to Calwell High School, including in relation to the processes around the management of occupational violence and staff shortages. The Education Directorate is complying with those notices, and we are working with WorkSafe and with relevant unions to ensure that staff and students at the school are safe. This is a very challenging time for that school community, and I want to assure them that the government is taking this seriously, and that I am taking this seriously. I will take all necessary actions to respond to the concerns.
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