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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1261 ..

religions as distinct from education in a particular religion. The next addition is about the flexibility of the class structure of schools, giving schools the option where deemed appropriate to separate boys and girls classes in core curriculum subjects, in line with the Canberra Liberals recently launched boys education policy.

The next amendment is about the addition of a new section covering the responsibilities and rights of teachers and giving principals the authority to hire and fire teachers, which include, firstly, laying down some general principles about what the community should expect from all of its teachers, including suitable role model requirements, the ability of all teachers to lead their students beyond the duties of straight subject teaching, and the duty of all teachers to reach out to all of their students through effective pastoral care; secondly, the basic requirement that all teachers will seek to develop themselves, with departmental support; thirdly, the need for all principals to lead and nurture their teachers to get the best out of their teachers; fourthly, the need for the chief executive to establish career pathways for principals and teachers; and, fifthly, the need for the chief executive to ensure that adequate support is provided to those schools where performances are suffering. The next amendment requires the chief executive to report to the police and other relevant authorities any acts of serious misbehaviour which involve criminal acts and other breaches of the law.

Mr Speaker, the aim of these amendments is to lay out what should be a level playing field. Let’s seek conformity across the entire ACT education system, through all schooling sectors, to ensure that the standards are achieved from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Looking at the non-government schools sector, Mr Speaker, one addition is that teacher, parent and student participation in all aspects of school education should be consistent with each school’s founding principles and ethos. This covers government, non-government and Catholic schools and home education. The next amendment proposes that financial and other assistance in relation to children attending non-government schools by way of per capita grants calculated at 25 per cent of the average per capita cost to the territory of educating children at government schools be paid out of public money appropriated by the Assembly. Mr Speaker, I stress that this model has been adapted and taken from the New South Wales Education Act 1990.

The next amendments propose the addition of the word “appropriate” when revealing information to parents about the operation of a school and its educational programs; allowing schools to seek expressions of interest in registrations for additional schooling years at the school before requiring the school to register the interest of extending its years of schooling with the minister for education, to make sure that we can ensure the viability of the extension of schooling years for a school; and the addition of a member of the non-government schools education council from the organisation representing ACT independent schools.

The next ones are about the addition of a requirement for an inspector/authorised person to notify the principal of a non-government school prior to their intended entry to the school and inform them of the reason for entry; the establishment of a non-government schools liaison officer in the Department of Education, Youth and Family Services—let’s broaden the department and make it more inclusive of all of our sectors—and the

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