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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 6 Hansard (23 May) . . Page.. 1695 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I will ask the new trust to examine the Baker report and report back to me on future directions for EPIC within the broad parameters I have set out today. The trust will examine the issues of long-term development; capital works; management structure; commercial viability; and marketing. The trust will also be asked to update its business plan, which sets out EPIC's vision, objectives and targets, complete with a capital and maintenance plan for the next five years. I wish to make it clear to members that the Government's intent for EPIC is to keep it as a valuable community asset. To ensure that it is sustained in that way for future generations, we must give it a clear direction and a financial basis upon which it can thrive. Within the above parameters, I believe that EPIC can, and will, give increasing benefit to the ACT community.

As I said yesterday, we were delighted with the work done by Mr Scollay, who has agreed to take up a position in Vanuatu. It is unfortunate that he is leaving; but he has done a great job in accordance with what he was asked to do and in conjunction with Mr Lawrence. Mr Speaker, I present a copy of this statement, and I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Debate (on motion by Mr Wood) adjourned.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Training): Mr Speaker, I seek leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on assessment and reporting of student outcome data.

Leave granted.

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, today I want to talk about the Government's initiative in monitoring and reporting on the performance of the Territory's education system. At the time of our election to government, Mr Speaker, we made a commitment to the people of the ACT to initiate a major enhancement in monitoring the performance of our government school system through reporting on student outcomes, with particular respect to literacy and numeracy. As I have previously said in this place, this initiative will bring the ACT into line with developments in other parts of Australia. We will no longer be lagging behind best practice in this vital area. We reaffirmed our promise, with respect to outcomes reporting, to the Canberra community at the time of the 1995-96 budget, and the first steps to achieve this commitment have already been taken. Our plan, Mr Speaker, is to collect performance data at two points in children's primary school education, followed by achievement information in the high school years. All parents of children in the selected years of schooling will have the opportunity to have their children's performance assessed and to receive a report on the outcome of that assessment.

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