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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 2001 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

This school cannot operate to a satisfactory level without substantial input by parents ... These will allow the school to satisfy the budget requirements ... which only address basic matters. If you prefer not to pay levies associated with elective subjects that your child studies, you may purchase the consumable items such as wood, metal, flour, foodstuffs, photographic materials and art supplies yourself.

My question is: Can he explain why there appears to be a difference of opinion about the discretionary nature of voluntary contributions, and what steps is the Minister taking to monitor how schools are addressing this issue?

MR STEFANIAK: I thank Ms Tucker for the question. As members are aware, the Government's revised response on voluntary contributions will be brought down next week. That will include, no doubt, a response to the committee's recommendation 3. I think Ms Tucker might recall a number of things I have said already in relation to this particular issue, which dates back to about May or June of last year, when a directive went out from the department indicating that the contributions were voluntary and stressing the need for school communities to inform parents of what the contributions were going towards, as a means of ensuring that parents knew what was expected of them, what benefit the school and their child would receive from these contributions, which are important to schools, and therefore what they could expect if they made the contribution. Ms Tucker, you will recall also that the P and C were somewhat concerned about some schools which were not using the word "voluntary", were not stressing that and had issued a number of notes to parents themselves which seemed to go counter to what the general policy was. Those, I understand, have been spoken to by the department, and steps are being taken in relation to that.

One of the issues you raise is that the contributions are very important to schools. Despite the fact that your committee might have thought initially that voluntary contributions were something schools could do without, the vast majority of parents and the vast majority of school boards and P and Cs are keen to see voluntary contributions continue. They realise that in these economically difficult times it is impossible for the Government to provide absolutely everything and that those contributions form an additional source of useful income for schools. Some of the other issues which were raised by your committee back in March are indeed being addressed by the Government and by the department in our response which will be brought down next week.

MS TUCKER: I ask a supplementary question. The question was: Can you explain the difference in views about whether it is discretionary or not? You did not answer that. My supplementary question is: Can you assure members that all students in the ACT public school system have the same educational opportunities within school curricula regardless of their parents' income?

MR STEFANIAK: I thought that was an absolute tenet of our school system, Mr Speaker. We have a very good school system. Whilst all schools vary in what they offer - many schools are very proud of offering things different to other schools - I think every child in our education system has an excellent opportunity to do well, is nurtured and, effectively, does have the same opportunity. Schools might have different subjects and do things slightly differently, and that is seen by many people as a strength in

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