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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1354 ..

MS DUNDAS (9.19): The Democrats are also happy to support this amendment. While at first blush it might seem more onerous, it is actually what home educators are looking for—working with the inspectors to actually highlight what it is they are doing as part of home education.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 131, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 132 and 133, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

Clause 134.

MS DUNDAS (9.20): I seek leave to move amendments No 8 and 9, circulated in my name, together.

Leave granted.

MS DUNDAS: I move amendments Nos 8 and 9 [see schedule 2 at page 1375]. These important amendments give those in home education the chance to rectify any problems or possible breaches of registration requirements. There is a fear that if registration requirements under this new legislation are too onerous or restrictive, home educators will actually be driven underground and will not participate in the process, and if they have been told that their home education status has been cancelled they then might just disappear and be out of contact with the department.

These amendments try to fix that situation by providing that if there is a breach of registration then the parents or the home educators must be given the opportunity to rectify that problem before the registration is cancelled. It gives them the chance to fix a mistake rather than registration being flagrantly cancelled and having to start the entire process again.

MR PRATT (9.21): Mr Speaker, the opposition thinks that these are quite reasonable amendments and that additional time will allow for a better all-round decision to be made. Therefore, we will support the amendments.

MR CORNWELL (9.22): Mr Speaker, may I ask a question of Ms Dundas, please? In part (b) of proposed new clause 134 (3A), as set out in your amendment No 9, you say, “it is not otherwise in the public interest that the registration be cancelled”. Could you explain the reasoning for that, please?

MS DUNDAS (9.22): To address the question raised by Mr Cornwell: the chief executive, if satisfied that the parents have demonstrated that there would be problems with the home education situation being shut down, will not cancel the registration. This is just a catch-all. If there are ongoing problems with the registration of the home educator but the children are still looking to receive education at home and the department is working with them to address registration problems, then it would not do anybody any good if midway through that rectification process the registration was cancelled.

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