Page 3648 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 8 December 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Given that the non-government sector can be expected to oppose any of Mr Berkeley's recommendations which might result in a reduction of funding to ACT non-government schools, it is appropriate to explore the comments offered so far by the two major public schooling groups, the Australian Teachers Union ACT branch and the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations, to the key recommendations. I thank Mr Cornwell for taking the approach of addressing the recommendations from the point of view of the Parents and Friends of ACT Schools. It is interesting to compare the Australian Teachers Union ACT branch's views on the Berkeley recommendations with the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations' views, and I, like Mr Cornwell, will go through the recommendations and speak on them in turn. The first recommendation is:
That the ACT Government actively supports the application of the Canberra Grammar School to the Commonwealth Government, through the Department of Employment, Education and Training, for a review of its level under the Commonwealth funding category.
The ATU view is opposed; the Council of P and C Associations is not opposed. What is being sought here is a review of Canberra Grammar School's education resource index funding category. A review does not necessarily mean that the ERI funding category will be changed. In fact, the Belconnen Region High Schools Task Force recommended that the ERI funding categories of all ACT non-government schools should be reviewed.
The second recommendation concerns the AME School and its incorporation into the government school system. The ATU agrees with this proposal, with conditions. The Council of P and C Associations endorses this recommendation. My colleague Mr Moore has commented previously on the need for negotiations to occur which would enable the AME School to be incorporated within the government school system. The Australian Teachers Union has particularly noted that staffing, enrolment and financing policies must be similar to those of comparable government schools and must be compatible with system needs. Recognising that the AME School caters for particular students, scope may be found which will enable the AME School to be staffed and funded along the lines, perhaps, of the School Without Walls and still be an integral part of the ACT public school system.
Recommendation 3 is:
That the 1991 decision to remove the cushioning be not revoked.
This recommendation was supported by both the Australian Teachers Union and the Council of P and C Associations. It is significant that both groups strongly supported the ACT Government's decision in 1991 to remove the funding cushion available to Canberra Grammar School, the Canberra Church of England Girls Grammar School and the AME School as originally referred to by the Belconnen Region High Schools Task Force, and confirmed by the Berkeley recommendations.
Recommendation 4 is:
That the basis of Territory funding of non-government schools be progressively changed from its current link with Commonwealth recurrent funding to a percentage link with the equivalent cost of educating a student in government primary and secondary schools.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .