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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 5 Hansard (1 May) . . Page.. 1308 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

This initiative is expensive, costing about $25 million over four years, but I believe it is worth every cent. It will reduce kindergarten, year 1 and year 2 class sizes to a maximum of 21 students. The reduction will occur progressively between 2002 and 2004. It will improve not only educational outcomes but also social outcomes for students.

The funding of more than $1.2 million over four years will also be provided to non-government schools to support better educational outcomes for lower primary students. Further funding will be provided for the implementation of a common literacy and numeracy assessment in non-government schools.

Importantly, this budget also provides for a range of early intervention strategies for indigenous people. These include a mentoring program to support 15 indigenous people in their existing employment. Financial support will also be provided to the recently incorporated Indigenous Business Chamber, with the aim of enhancing employment opportunities.

The government will also enhance the indigenous youth centre's services at a cost of $100,000 a year. This initiative will allow the Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation to better address the needs of indigenous young people in the community and indigenous students who are at risk of performing poorly in the ACT education system.

Funding of nearly $200,000 a year has been provided for additional indigenous mental health workers and $250,000 a year for enhanced indigenous health services, including outreach and case management workers.

While addressing the issue of early intervention, this budget has also given a focus to families. To this end, we have allocated more than $350,000 a year to strengthen measures for the protection of children, with early intervention, to prevent family breakdown, child abuse and neglect. The government will provide $75,000 a year to support 60 of the most at-risk families in the ACT through the provision of counselling and support services. This Youth Connection Family Support program will provide a specialised family counselling service to help improve resilience in these families.

Almost $1 million will be provided over four years for an early intervention program for families with adolescent children who are experiencing family conflict or dealing with issues such as substance abuse. The Supporting Families with Adolescents program will focus on young people aged 16 years and under and will have the resources to intervene within 48 hours. Some $200,000 a year will also be provided for parenting services in Gungahlin.

Funding of $82,000 a year will enable us to set up in Canberra the "Stepping Stones" New South Wales family drug support program, assisting the families and friends of those affected by alcohol and other drug use. More than $0.5 million a year has been provided for a coordinated approach to managing family violence in the ACT, which includes a strongly interventionist police response, the creation of a specialised family violence prosecutor and the establishment of a perpetrator education program.

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