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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 5 Hansard (8 May) . . Page.. 1701 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

We hope the government finds the strength and the vision to initiate the sort of cultural change in our schools that would enable them to implement the recommendations we think are worthy. However, the opposition is very concerned with a number of the recommendations in this report, which we think will have a negative impact if implemented. They are negative points that I think detract from what is otherwise a useful report.

One of the recommendations I strongly support is recommendation 3, on disability services in schools. I note that the committee report is unable to tackle that issue in detail because it is pre-empted in some sense by the Connors report. However, I am pleased to see that the Health Committee report has said that, pending the outcome of Connors, something needs to be done about up-gunning disability services in schools. That's something I entirely welcome.

Recommendation 4 is another particularly good recommendation-the on-site medical and health monitoring services in schools. There is a need for us to intervene somewhat earlier in our kids' development, and the institutionalisation-if you want to call it that-of medical capabilities in schools that allow that to happen can only be a good thing and is entirely welcome.

Recommendation 25 is an excellent recommendation. It deals with human values and the philosophy plan in schools. A number of us have been talking for some time about the need to improve that aspect of schooling. We are not just about fitting out our children to be capable of carrying core academic values with them; they also need to know a lot more about life, learn to appreciate their country, their community, a multicultural society, the history of where we have come from and to pick up on those virtues.

I strongly support recommendations 37, 38 and those through to 45, regarding early intervention with medical care. Children need to be encouraged to come forward. They need to be encouraged to come and see a school medical officer to present the concerns they may have. They need to be prepared to have a good look at themselves and where they can improve their mental health-perhaps in esteem terms-and how they can overly improve themselves.

They need to learn the value of maintaining their own health, and I think the early intervention programs being recommended in terms of medical care will go a long way to pursuing those sorts of principles. Recommendation 43-the identification of and assistance to young carers-is a very sensible recommendation as well.

I should also stress that recommendation 23-the introduction of full-time health and welfare officers in schools-is also extremely valuable, as it assists the early identification of children at risk. If we can identify children with health and mental problems at a younger age, there will be a better opportunity to do something with them. Schools have a very strong role to play, in addition to families and community services, in the identification of and early intervention for children at risk. This recommendation will certainly go a long way to gearing up for that.

I will go through the recommendations we have difficulty with. First is recommendation 5, which refers to a change in the way physical education is practised. In the report

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