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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (24 September) . . Page.. 3253 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

arising from this particular paper. Ultimately, this paper will lead to the establishment of a literacy policy, which will further enhance our drive towards better literacy levels for all our students. I think in the ACT we have been particularly successful in implementing a more extensive and effective literacy assessment program than that of any other State or Territory.

One could perhaps say that Ms McRae's motion, while certainly well-intentioned, is really nitpicking. It ignores the very real benefit to ACT students of the vital groundwork done through our assessment program. We will continue to work towards better literacy outcomes for our students. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, we will also continue to work with our State and Federal colleagues - sometimes that can be a little bit difficult - to develop acceptable national standards, and we will report against those standards using our own rigorous assessment regimes.

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, rather than going into that now, I would just say a few other things in relation to Ms McRae's motion. Quite clearly, the types of things she is interested in and the problems she raises in relation to some of these students are very real. It is very obvious that coming from a home that does not have any books available or even a home where parents do not read newspapers or magazines but simply watch television and where there is no written material puts that child behind the eight ball, much more so than coming from a home where books are read and where that is part of the tradition in the home. Those are very real problems that need addressing. I think they are addressed in this paper.

There is one further aspect. In terms of the actual motion, she calls for a further chapter to be added to this discussion paper. I would say to members, firstly, that I think there is ample flexibility in this very wide discussion paper for the very points Ms McRae makes to be made as responses in the context of this discussion paper or by people or bodies making comments - whether they do it by way of filling in the response sheet or by providing additional comments. I am sure that those comments will be forthcoming. I know that they will be. I think people in the department will raise it. I am sure that the P and C will, I am sure that the AEU will, I am sure that principals will, and I am sure that school boards will.

In terms of the point in relation to parents, I think I have said enough on that. By adding a further chapter I hope she does not mean redoing this entire discussion paper. I feel that there is enough there for the very points she makes to be responded to. Not only has she raised this issue in this Assembly, but she has put an article into the education supplement, which I have responded to, and I have certainly stressed that the word "parent" should be read in the broadest possible terms. I wonder whether we need to go to any further extent or whether we would be just duplicating effort and perhaps wasting resources by adding a further chapter to this document, which has already gone out to all those people.

This document has gone out. People have it already. I suppose that, if members were of such a mind, I could add a short note to all the people to whom this paper has gone out, stressing that these points are additional things that need to be taken into account. I suppose that is something that could occur. I would like to hear members' views on that before I do that. I simply think - and I hope that members have had a chance to read this document - that this document in itself and the responses it will evoke will cover

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