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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 300 ..

Mr Berry: You do not improve it by putting Liberal governments in either, Michael.

MR MOORE: The interjection again from Mr Berry is, "You do not improve it by putting in a Liberal government". It is a great shame that there was such a huge swing in the electorate against Labor for their incompetence. We do not appear to be doing that much better.

MR HIRD (11.12): Mr Speaker, my colleague Mr Stefaniak delivered this statement in May of last year. In spite of the widespread industrial furore by union leaders in recent weeks, this Government's work on improving the education system in this Territory goes on. The Australian Education Union bans have interfered with the quality of education our students have received in the past few weeks, but not with the progress that the Government is making towards achieving its goals in education. The AEU bans are having widespread effects on extracurricular activities in all sectors of public schooling.

Students get only one go at education. These bans are taking education from our students. What is lost can never be regained or replaced. If these bans continue, students in 1996 will miss out on development activities that will not come again. For instance, we cannot measure the effect of not having Year 7 and Year 10 camps. They are an important part of the whole package of education. They play a vital role in maximising the benefits of peer support programs in schools and are instrumental in motivating students. Furthermore, these bans will seriously affect many high school and college students in classes where learning and assessment are dependent on excursions or classes which take place outside school hours. Students enrolled in Australian vocational training scheme courses which depend on out of hours work placement will not be awarded a certificate where work placement has not occurred.

Of course, teachers' work bans are having a negative effect on students' education in this Territory. I will say it again: In spite of this disruption, the Government's progress on the important big issues in improving our students' education goes on. We are committed to enhancing the literacy and numeracy skills of our students - a move long called for by parents, employers and tertiary education institutions. In short, the community is demanding that this fundamental aspect of education be addressed. We also remain committed to establishing a system for monitoring and evaluating literacy and numeracy outcomes. In fact, implementing measures towards this forms part of the latest negotiation package which the Government has put to the AEU in our effort to resolve the current costly industrial dispute. It is a costly dispute because it is costing the residents of this Territory.

Consultation and work on our initiative in increasing the level of school-based management is, as the Minister, Mr Stefaniak, has said, well under way. Initiatives in the areas of health, sport and physical education are in the implementation phase. It is clear that, despite the interference run by militant unions, the achievements of the Government in education in the Territory have been significant. At the same time, the Government is determined to address the hard issues of responsible financial management of the education budget, and we saw how that blew out under a Labor government to over $6m.

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