Page 1676 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 18 May 1994
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The Trades and Labour Council's submission for this year's budget, which was endorsed by the Australian Education Union, said on education:
There should be no reduction in the Education workforce as this will reduce the quality of education. If Australia wants to become the clever country it cannot go on reducing its Education budget. The Education budget has been reduced to the point where the quality of service and educational outcomes are at risk.
The Council of P and C Associations has consistently provided submissions to the Government budget consultative process, a process that I applaud. In its June 1992 submission, from which I quoted earlier, the council identified four main areas of concern and called for: Firstly, the implementation of a program to enhance social justice in schooling, incorporating a new program for high school development, special funding assistance to those schools serving communities with characteristics associated with poor outcomes from schooling, expansion of supplementary resource programs such as the learning advancement, learning assistance and reading recovery programs, and improved student welfare, counselling and behaviour management services in schools. Secondly, the introduction of a new system of ACT Government funding of non-government schools. Thirdly, the introduction of a plan for schools with declining enrolments, which includes measures to help stabilise enrolments, greater use of excess space for educational purposes, and an innovative program based on principles of community participation to facilitate community and commercial use of available space in schools. Fourthly, establishment of a schools advisory council to examine the factors likely to impact on the future provision of government schooling in the ACT and to prepare long-term policy advice.
A year later little had changed. The council's 1993-94 budget submission, entitled "Canberra Schools - A Sunrise or Sunset Industry", identified six areas of concern, and I will run through these. Firstly, the emerging problems of literacy development. Secondly, insufficient resources for schools serving communities with high concentrations of socioeconomic disadvantage. Thirdly, insufficient resourcing for high schools. Fourthly, an increasing drop-out rate in colleges. Fifthly, reduction in funds to purchase supplies for everyday teaching purposes. Sixthly, non-government school funding.
The council suggested that to address these concerns the Government should increase funding for supplementary learning assistance programs in primary and high schools, giving priority to the expansion of the learning advancement program in primary schools and the learning assistance program in high schools; introduce the ACT's own priority school system; signal that it will ensure an equitable distribution of resources to facilitate the well-known reforms and changes necessary to improve the quality of high schooling, recognising that this will have budgetary implications over several budgets; ensure that all students are actively involved in the educational process at the end of Year 12; act to ensure the provision of materials fundamental to effective classrooms in government schools; and overhaul the system for funding non-government schools.
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