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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (18 February) . . Page.. 50 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

As a further demonstration of our continued commitment to equity for students, we have established from this year a schools equity fund. I have spoken about this fund before in this place. It will augment existing equity measures and will provide additional resourcing for relatively disadvantaged students. In 1997 we effectively have $145,000 in that fund. Furthermore, Mr Speaker, the overall increased flexibility that school-based management offers to schools - a flexibility which gives schools a greater capacity to accurately target the specific needs of their own school communities - can do nothing but make meeting the needs of disadvantaged or potentially disadvantaged students more effective. Students, and when I say "students" I mean all students, should benefit rather than suffer disadvantage through the implementation of enhanced school-based management. I commend the response to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Ms McRae) adjourned.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Training) (3.52): Mr Speaker, I ask for leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on the maintenance of the quality and integrity of education provision in the ACT.

Leave granted.

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to address this Assembly on the Government's maintenance of quality and integrity in the provision of education in the ACT. My statement today is timely as there has been, in recent times, considerable community debate, at a local and a national level, about the impact of the Commonwealth's abolition of the new schools policy and the introduction of the enrolment benchmark adjustment. An expectation has developed, in some quarters, that these measures may lead to a shift towards non-government schooling across Australia and possibly impact on the ACT. As well, there is considerable debate, at a national level, about the Commonwealth transferring resources to non-government schools.

Mr Speaker, I want to emphasise today that this Government is fully committed to maintaining the integrity and quality of education provision across all sectors in the Territory, and we have amply demonstrated that commitment. When I say "all sectors", I mean both the government and the non-government sectors, because a fundamental premise on which we base the quality and the integrity of our delivery of education in the Territory is our commitment to providing quality education whilst maintaining for parents and students the opportunity to choose non-government schools. This determination is clearly demonstrated by the fact that, in a climate of severe budgetary pressures, this Government has given first priority to education by maintaining funding in real terms

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