Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (24 May) . . Page.. 1678 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Mr Berry calls on the Assembly to express its concern at recent reports on this government's performance on indigenous education. The government too is a little bit concerned, I suppose, about the way the reports were done. Perhaps in a different way from the way Mr Berry is coming at it, we agree with that.

Mr Berry needs to be aware of a number of things. The concerns were raised by one parent of an indigenous child who stated that he himself was not indigenous, and the report relates to 1998 figures. I want to put on record the great efforts of our schools, teachers, school boards and P&Cs in inclusive education. In our break between sittings I talked to the head of the Indigenous Education Unit, who passed on to me comments made by Matilda House that, of all the areas of government, she was very praiseworthy of the efforts of the Department of Education and Community Services in the reconciliation process. I put that on record because it is important to praise the efforts of our teachers, our schools and our parents.

I was a little bit interested when Mr Berry made comments about this person thinking that parents felt a bit alienated and threatened. If anything, our schools are very keen to involve members of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as much as possible. One only has to go around our schools to see the inclusive nature of the efforts being made and the respect for indigenous culture in our schools. Dale Huddleston has paintings in virtually all of our government schools. Only last week I was at Macgregor Primary School, where a number of indigenous people, including members of the Indigenous Education Unit, are celebrating the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. I put on record my thanks to the members of the indigenous community who give up there time to assist there.

Mr Berry referred to media reports. They are based on a progress report from the Commonwealth government done for the purpose of administrative accountability associated with the funding agreement. Those media reports on the issue were selective in the extreme, and of course the Commonwealth report was two years old. The media reports were based on 1998 data and on discussions between Commonwealth and ACT officials.

The report Mr Berry wants this Assembly to focus on was the Commonwealth critique and analysis of the department's indigenous education strategic initiatives program progress report presented to the Commonwealth for the 1998 year. The report was used as the basis for discussion between officials from the department and Commonwealth officials and was used to set goals and targets for the following year, and 1998 was the second year of a four-year agreement with the Commonwealth. For the benefit of Assembly members, I note that that performance report shows that, of the 20 targets reported on for the 1998 year, the department met or exceeded 10. That did not appear in any of the reporting of this matter. It is disappointing that the media and those who reported this matter were so selective in their interpretation of that report. Those figures demonstrate the progress.

Beyond that, Mr Berry asks this Assembly to concern itself with old news in that report, when it would be infinitely more productive and more appropriate for members to look at the current situation. I have no dramas at all about issuing the reports. I will come to that.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .