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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 1 Hansard (13 December) . . Page.. 251 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, it is obvious that smaller class sizes will result in greater individual attention being given to our children and therefore greater individual and collective development and learning. Approximately 140 additional teachers will be recruited to implement the reduction in class sizes over the next three years.

In recognition of the pressure placed on community services through the Australian Industrial Relations Commission determination on the social and community services award, the SACS award, with the proposed passage of the second appropriation bill this sitting, I will be able to provide interim payments to the affected community services.

The new award will greatly affect community service providers in varying ways. The greatest impact will be on those services providing 24-hour support for those most at risk. Services providing extended hours care, such as aged services, will also experience increases in their annual costs, but to a lesser extent. For those services operating during business hours, the increases in salary costs are less still.

In order to objectively determine the impact of the award increases on these services, a tender process is under way to select an organisation to undertake the assessment. The project will translate all positions into the appropriate levels of the social and community services award and assess the additional costs imposed by other awards. The project is expected to commence in December and will take some months to complete.

This government recognises the importance of accessible child care and will substantially increase the number of places available across the city, particularly in Gungahlin. I am pleased that the government has already moved to establish additional accommodation at the Nicholls early childhood centre and Ngunnawal children's services centre. Both of these services have indicted their willingness to expand to meet the demand for services. This temporary accommodation will provide approximately 55 additional places by March 2002. In addition, a new child-care centre at the Gungahlin town centre will be established by October 2002, providing an additional 90 places.

In relation to the redirection of the remainder of the $27 million from the free school bus scheme, and beyond the commitments I have just outlined, I will be consulting with key stakeholders over the next few months about educational priorities and the most effective use for these funds.

We will not rush into determining our future funding priorities. We propose to examine the options strategically in a planned and consultative manner. This needs to include an analysis of how current resources are directed and whether they are enhancing Canberra's standing as a centre of learning excellence.

This government is committed to full and equal access to high-quality education at all levels. We plan to pay particular attention to students at risk, students with special learning needs, students with disabilities, improved retention rates and improved levels of literacy and numeracy. In doing so, we again recognise the critical importance of learning in determining an individual's and community's prosperity. We will ensure that professionals such as counsellors and family support services interconnect to provide comprehensive encouragement for students to succeed in their educational setting. This

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