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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Wednesday, 30 June 2004) . . Page.. 3090 ..

A number of studies around the world and in Australia have identified the need for a greater emphasis on teaching and supporting values from the first school years right through to year 12. The federal government commissioned the Department of Education, Science and Training to undertake a study. In August 2003 the department released its report entitled “Values Education Study.” That report, which identifies some interesting work that has been done around the world, refers to the success stories of 69 government and non-government schools across Australia that have inculcated values education in their curriculum and, importantly, in their school routine.

The department recognised that significant advantages could be gained in values education and that rather broad benefits could accrue to schools and to individual students. Some elements in the report might be a little sceptical and in some cases the department has been a little slow to embrace the concept of values education. However, it has logically come to the conclusion that encouraging schools to inculcate values in their curriculum and to build those values into school routine and school life will make quantum differences in those schools, resulting in happy learning and teaching environments and achieving better educational and academic outcomes. The report states:

In Australia, the vision is that, ultimately, every school would address values education on an ongoing, planned and systematic basis.

That is the vision referred to in this report. The report encourages schooling authorities across the country to take that issue on board. The Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs has taken note of that report. Despite its domination by Labor education ministers, MCEETYA has agreed, perhaps grudgingly, to the need to introduce formal and systemic values education. However, it has not yet stated how or when that will happen. It wants to conduct further studies, which is a problem.

The federal government will spend $30 million to foster school forums at every school and it will encourage the introduction of values education. I do not know when that is to occur, but that is what the federal government is talking about doing. I will refer later to some of the recommendations in that departmental report. As I said earlier, a number of government and non-government schools in the ACT, of their own volition, have developed and are practising values education.

It is traditional for some schools to address systemic problems. Other schools have been forced into doing that because concerns have been expressed at those schools. The teaching of values should not just be another part of a school curriculum; it should be an integral part of a school’s culture. It should permeate a school’s curriculum and the way in which that school operates. (Extension of time granted.) Only in that way can the teaching and supporting of values have an immediate and a lasting effect on students, the school and the community that supports it. Only in that way can we militate against many of the negative impacts that currently exist in schools. That is what values teaching means.

Teachers, schoolchildren and families have expressed concern about some of the negative aspects that they have had to face. This government would be taking a quantum leap if it laid down firm policy and benchmarks that enabled all schools to adopt a values

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