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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1044 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

will continue to work to improve efficiencies and to direct available resources to meet new and emerging priorities, including increasing the level of discretionary funding to schools. Initiatives have been taken jointly with schools to make available resources go further.

We fund a range of important areas within the department. We are supporting a diverse range of demands in areas such as services for students with special needs; student support services; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives; reading recovery and learning assistance; initiatives in the area of outcomes and reporting; improved information technology access for schools; English as a second language services; the swim and survive program; and the arts - the Jigsaw theatre program. But there will still be other areas which particular school communities see as important to their student population. This is where the discretionary income derived from parental contributions comes into its own.

However, Mr Speaker, the Government acknowledges that the issue of voluntary parent contributions is a sensitive and complex matter. We will ensure that the department provides assistance to schools on communicating with parents. School boards will be required to give clear and consistent messages to parents on the policy and the uses made of voluntary contributions. Recommendation 16 and our response are very important, because the passage of information to parents is crucial.

Ms McRae: Why did you take so long to do it, then?

MR STEFANIAK: It was done last year as well, Ms McRae. I can give some anecdotal evidence. A number of schools and boards I have spoken to have indicated that where the passage of information is good they have a very high rate of parental contributions. One in Belconnen that springs to mind is about 80 per cent. I spoke to a member of the P and C executive several months ago on this subject. At the school his child attends, a primary school, the contribution rate is about 80 per cent as well. Telling parents what the contribution is for is crucially important. In the light of the committee's findings, I have also asked the department to review arrangements for communicating and negotiating with schools on resource issues. This review will be conducted in consultation with school communities. A review of the qualification criteria for Commonwealth disadvantaged schools funds will also be undertaken.

Finally, we will continue to encourage parents to make the contributions if they have the capacity to do so. Schooling functions as a partnership between parents, communities and schools - and the contributions, both financial and otherwise, made by parents are a very important part of this partnership. In saying this, I am also mindful that schools must continue to monitor the overall cost to parents of extracurricular activities, such as excursions and formals, to ensure that demands are kept to a minimum. Mr Speaker, my thanks again go to the committee for its report. I commend to the Assembly the Government's response to the report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on the voluntary parent contribution scheme in the Australian Capital Territory.

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