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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 6 Hansard (23 May) . . Page.. 1663 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Does the system foster their development?". What we found in one school particularly was the off-line program. That is a program that is really offering an option for students who are having difficulty in the mainstream classes. They can go to this off-line program where there is a different kind of teaching occurring. It is extremely successful and apparently most of its success, or a large part of its success, is due to the nature of the man who is running it. Equally, the girls program had a very skilled person running it. We could see the need to get more encouragement for teachers who have skills in this area, more reward status and recognition for their very important work.

The committee generally felt that we needed to further resource schools in order for them to address the issues of violence. We asked that there be further resourcing of off-line programs or similar flexible approaches in schools to the one that I just described. We asked that there be careful examination and further resourcing of intervention programs for students on suspension. We have a situation now where many students are suspended from schools in the ACT and, while they are suspended, who knows where they are. Their parents are probably at work and the kids are on the streets. It is not really going to help them change their attitude. They need to have some kind of support if they are not able to work within the school system.

We also ask that there be more help for primary school students. There were alarming figures or reports that there is a more frequent occurrence of violence in primary schools, involving much younger children, than used to be the case. We do not see that that has been recognised enough in resourcing. There are waiting lists of children who need help and are not getting it, which means that the teachers are left in a very difficult situation, having to handle children who really do have special needs. The committee also wants to see alternative education and life-skill programs being provided for students who cannot reintegrate into schools. For some kids it is just not going to work, and, if it is not, at least try to give them something to go back out into the community with, not just say, "Well, that one fell off".

Of course, we have the issue of resourcing teacher training. When we talked to the Canberra University about the training of teachers there was concern that there was not a big enough focus in training; that behaviour management is actually an extremely big part of the teacher's work, and that they do need to be skilled. This does not mean just training before they start teaching. This is about providing the support while they are practising teachers, through courses, refresher courses, and an opportunity to deal with these issues as a group so that they can deal with them in a skilful way.

Another big area of concern for a lot of people was the issue of equity and access in our public school system, and what do we actually value in this society. It was interesting that in the Weekend Australian, in the Review section, there was an article headed "The Me Society" which was based on what is happening in the United States. If any members here read that article, I am sure that they would have been equally alarmed by the approach that has been taken in the United States. People in the United States, more and more, as the gap between rich and poor increases - a phenomenon that is happening also in Australia - are becoming less concerned about caring and much more concerned about looking after themselves, to the point where in some States they are banning any new welfare agencies, even private, because they would be a magnet for the needy and they do not want the needy in their towns.

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