Page 1873 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 June 2022

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How would a school be expected to consult on policies (enrolment, complaints and behaviour management) with parents, students and staff?

It is highly impractical … and does not reflect an appropriate way a school and the Governing Body would work.

We note that and put it on the record. I will not be amending that today. Certainly, reflecting on those comments, we will see how this bill rolls out and judge its success on its implementation. I hope that it is successful. We received a range of comments from all of the various groups, but, at the end of the day, they support the bill and the amendments. They all agree that it is a matter of how this bill is then implemented that will make the difference. Certainly, we will continue to engage with those stakeholder groups to monitor that.

In conclusion, the bill and the amendments address significant issues that have been developed over some time with broad stakeholder engagement. Initial reaction was mostly positive on the broad aspects of the bill, with some concerns over technical drafting issues, and the government amendments address many of those issues.

I would like to thank the minister and the directorate staff for their work in this area. I think that it is a good piece of legislation that has involved significant engagement with stakeholder groups. I am satisfied that that has been done in a good way. I would like to thank Mel and Rebecca from the minister’s office, who provided a full brief to my office on the bill, as well as the government amendments. I thank the minister, her office and the directorate.

I would also like to thank those associations that gave us input—Andrew Wrigley from the Association of Independent Schools, Ross Fox from the Catholic Education Office, Patrick Judge from the Australian Education Union, and Veronica Elliott from the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations. I would like to thank them for their input as well.

This is a significant, large and complex area of government, and it is sometimes difficult to juggle the competing needs of various stakeholders. I think the government has done a reasonable job in this case. We will certainly monitor its implementation. As I said, we will be supporting this bill and all of the amendments being moved to the bill by the minister.

MR DAVIS (Brindabella) (5.03): I rise today to speak in support of the Education Amendment Bill 2022. As outlined by the minister, the purpose of these amendments is to clarify and strengthen oversight of student movement, the processes for suspension, expulsion and exclusion, the regulatory roles and obligations of non-government school officials, and a shift to risk-based review and registration for non-government schools. I welcome the provisions to strengthen oversight into student movement between schools, which will be invaluable in identifying students who are at risk. This is one of the tragic lessons learned from the death of Bradyn Stuart Dillon and will hopefully prevent other students from falling between the cracks.


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