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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1349 ..

MR PRATT: If the department is the best institution equipped to provide a good standard of counselling then it—

MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt, it has just been drawn to my attention that this is the third time that you have been on your feet. You will need leave to speak.

Mr Pratt: I am sorry, Mr Speaker. I will sit down. Just strike all that from the record.

MR SPEAKER: If you want to speak, you can seek leave to do so.

MR CORNWELL (9.01): I just briefly want to comment. Ms Tucker made a comment about a grandma. That is perfectly appropriate, except, of course, that there is nothing in Mr Pratt’s motion that would prevent a grandma getting involved in appropriate counselling, as organised by the department of education. It may very well be that that person is the most appropriate person.

Ms Tucker: And would the department know that?

MR CORNWELL: Yes, but it would obviously be done in consultation. I make the point to the minister that if the non-government sector is not happy about undertaking appropriate counselling organised by the department of education, why should they be happy about accepting Ms Dundas’s amendment to the legislation?

Mr Pratt’s amendment to Ms Dundas’s amendment negatived.

Ms Dundas’s amendment agreed to.

Clause 103, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 104.

MS DUNDAS (9.02): I move amendment No 6 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 1375]. This is the same as, or very similar to, the amendment we have just debated. It inserts this provision in respect of the non-government school sector. To pick up on a point that was made in a previous debate, this is a very similar clause to that which already exists in the legislation for government, Catholic systemic and non-government schools.

A child can only be excluded from school if the child has been given a reasonable opportunity to attend counselling, undertake relevant educational programs or receive other appropriate assistance. A number of things have to happen before a child is excluded from school. These amendments seek to put that requirement into the early stages of the process. A suspension is a flag fall that something is going wrong. We should be working to keep students in schools by picking up problems early as opposed to waiting until students are on the verge of being excluded for good before the counselling is offered.

MR PRATT (9.04): Mr Speaker, I move my amendment No 3 to Ms Dundas’s amendment No 6 [see schedule 5 at page 1383]. I simply draw the attention of the

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