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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1331 ..

MR SPEAKER: No, I think I’ll allow that, but I made my point.

MR PRATT: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What we have said here today, in this place and in the media, is that we seek to improve the standards of education and the inculcation of values in schools. We have not slagged off the teachers or the education system or whatever the Chief Minister has misrepresented our position on. We have not said that, and what we will always do is seek to add value to the education system to see that these issues are brought up. So the Chief Minister is entirely out of line with that particular attack.

Amendment negatived.

Clause 28 agreed to.

Clause 29 agreed to.

Clause 30.

MS GALLAGHER (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Women and Minister for Industrial Relations) (6.19): I move amendment No 4 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 1371]. This is a very straightforward amendment. It is designed to limit the chief executive’s curriculum responsibilities and to provide greater clarity and accountability. Currently, the provisions state that the chief executive must decide the curriculum requirements for government schools. This amendment will ensure that the chief executive retains the power to decide curriculum requirements for children attending government schools—pre-school to year 10—and that the Board of Senior Secondary Studies retains the power to approve courses for years 11 and 12 as they do now and this will also apply to non-government schools.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 30, as amended, agreed to.

Proposed new clause 30A.

MR PRATT (6.21): I move amendment No 12 circulated in my name which inserts a new clause 30A [see schedule 3 at page 1376].In line with the recent Canberra Liberals’ policy announcement on boys’ education and our desire for the government to move down that track for the sake of all students, this amendment provides for optional separate classes for boys and girls for the core curriculum subjects of English, mathematics and science. In addition, it also provides for optional classes to be established for particular subjects or in general for disadvantaged students, those who are likely to end their school education early or gifted students. This optional action would only be taken if the chief executive, the school board and the parents of the affected students agree to the action being taken.

MS DUNDAS (6.22): Mr Speaker, I will be opposing this amendment moved by Mr Pratt. I think it is overly prescriptive to have in the legislation and at this point is unnecessary. Prescribing what classes schools may or may not segregate, be that English,

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